Let’s first look at the dictionary’s definition of “alive”: “full of energy and spirit; lively.” I wanted to get that out of the way up front so you don’t think I recently departed my world. Far from it.
But what I do want to convey is that being old should not make us sedate and not interested in doing fun things. Sure, we may not be able to run as far or play as many sets of tennis or run around shopping for this and that or attend events where seating is somewhere next to the clouds, and so on.
At every age, no matter how high the number, we can enjoy evenings out with our partners in life, other family and friends, play a few rounds or sets of our favorite sports, attend events where the seating is on the ground floor, watch most of what we are interested in on TV, have friends over for hors d’oeuvres and cocktails, drive to the Keys and other interesting places with beautiful scenery, and many other things as unlimited as your imagination.
Unfortunately, many people who are heading towards triple digits in age let their bodies and spirits lag and eventually fall by the way-side, resulting in a steady demise rather than an extended enjoyment of life. Instead, those of us in that category need to exercise as health permits, maintain contact with world events as difficult as many of them are to swallow, and maintain close contact with loved ones, family and friends who are willing to make the same commitment to work hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle and interest in current events.
It is not enough to just be “alive”; we should strive to be “full of energy and spirit; lively.”