On my recent trip to China, Matt and I were younger than the majority of the people by 30 years. Everyone kept asking us how we felt about being the youngest people on the trip. Neither of us were bothered. We have a number of older friends and I don’t judge people by their age. However, I can be impressed by people based on their age.
In one of the groups on our tour there was a 90-year-old man. He was full of life and had made the 14-plus hour plane ride to China. He was fully enjoying himself. I hope that I have as much energy and vitality when I am his age (which I fully hope to be some day).
In my group there was an older lady. I never asked her age. She kept up with all of us and said that it’s all about mindset. She has obviously made healthful choices about life and clearly has some decent genes, but I think mindset is very important.
What I saw in these two people is a trait I see in all my grandparents’ friends who are over 80. They enjoy and appreciate life (and while they may have moments where they get down about their age or the loss of friends which occurs more frequently when you’re 90) they never let age get in their way. They live life and enjoy being alive.
(The photo above is of Jack–at ninety–with his family on the Yangtze River.)
