Tales of a Geriatrician

Living it Up to Live Longer, What I’ve Learned…Part 2

This past summer my wife and I traveled to South Africa. We had incredible adventure learning about the extraordinary history and culture of the country.   We saw the beautiful countryside; visited many sites of interest and took over 1,000 photos while on Safari! We saw amazing animals up-close and personal.

On our first day in Cape Town, we had a very special experience. We arrived a day early (to get adjusted prior to our official tour starting) and arranged through a South African friend of ours to hired a private guide for the day to visit the gorgeous  So. African wine country.  Our guide Mervyn met us promptly at 9:30 am in the lobby of our hotel and off we went!

We spent the entire day with this gentleman, gaining a perspective that we might not have gotten had we not secured this private tour guide who shared with us his wealth of knowledge, talent and experiences.  As it turned out, Mervyn was well into his 70s and had already retired from a career in the insurance business.

He chose to become a tour guide for many reasons;  being a guide gave him a purpose in life, he loved the companionship of others, and each trip was a new adventure.  He also looked at his job as a guide as a chance to supplement his income while doing two things he loved; viewing his native countryside and visiting wineries.

As we age we can make choices to continue to work; sometimes for financial reasons but other times because it gives us a sense of satisfaction or provides us with a purpose in life.

Here are 5 questions to ponder about having goals as you Age GRACEfully™…

  •  What will you be doing when you are 75?
  •  What brings you joy in life?
  • Are you planning ahead so you can afford retirement?
  • Have you developed hobbies and other interests early in life that you’ll be able to continue as you age?
  • Are you developing healthy habits early in life that can be continued into retirement? 

Do you have any comments to share or secrets to your health and adventures that you have had?  I would like to hear from you.

Here’s to a Long and Healthy Life!

Stay connected!

David Bernstein, MD

For more about GRACE and Living it Up to Live Longer, read: I’ve Got Some Good News and Some Bad News YOU’RE OLD available for purchase, click on the book cover to the right.

OR click on either link below:

Createspace:   https://www.createspace.com/3945855 or on Amazon:  I’ve Got Some Good News and Some Bad News, YOU’RE OLD

The kindle version will be coming soon!

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