Longevity

[flying belgian]

Just got back from cousins funeral. Other cousin did a family tree going back to the 1500s. With the exception of 4 men no man lives past 72. Cousin that died was 4 days into 73 so he did good. I will be 72 in 7 days. It doesn't bother me but I do think about it.

Have a good evening.

 

[trackrat]

Maybe God isn't through with you yet

 

[SweetFeet]

Just got back from cousins funeral. Other cousin did a family tree going back to the 1500s. With the exception of 4 men no man lives past 72. Cousin that died was 4 days into 73 so he did good. I will be 72 in 7 days. It doesn't bother me but I do think about it.

Have a good evening.

You may live a lot longer than your relatives... you also have genes from your other parent's side of the family.

 

[Not db4600]

Just got back from cousins funeral. Other cousin did a family tree going back to the 1500s. With the exception of 4 men no man lives past 72. Cousin that died was 4 days into 73 so he did good. I will be 72 in 7 days. It doesn't bother me but I do think about it.

Have a good evening.

It doesn’t bother me either. Maybe growing up a farm kid gives us an understanding of the fickle cycle of life.
I was 3 months early back on my birthday (all 8 of us were early) and wasn’t expected to come home. I feel I’ve been fortunate.

 

[Mcrafty1]

Only we as individuals know what we did in the past to aid or hinder our shelf life, as the saying goes for me at least....'If I'd have known I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself getting here'

 

[John M]

With all my health problems, Im surprised I have lived longer than my Dad (54), my grandfather (28), great grandfather (51), and great great grandfather (49). My Dad, grandfather, and great gramps died from complications of diabetes. My great great gramps died just out of the blue one day. Doc said it was a heart attack.

 

[NoDakInMN]

When I was 51 I got diagnosed with a congenital heart issue that had been taking out a number of male members on my father's side of the family for years. At the time they had only recently discovered what it was and what we had thought were relatives dying of sudden heart attacks was mostly likely due to this instead. My doctor had thought I had a heart murmur for some time and after a while thought it prudent to have an echocardiogram. The results of this test led to several days at the Mayo Clinic where they came up with the diagnosis. Long story short, it meant that the disease could kill me at pretty much any moment, but was somewhat manageable with regular heart checkups and medication. The nature of the disease is such that the only effective cure has to wait until the disease progresses until a certain point and only then can a surgical intervention be performed. The trick is not die until it reaches that point. It's now been 14 years since that diagnosis and I still have not reached that point. On the good side, during my last echocardiogram, the technician asked if I had had the surgical intervention as there was no obvious sign of the condition. It turns out I have gone into a remission of sorts, but as their knowledge of this condition is so relatively new, there is still quite a bit they don't know about it.

Anyway, for the past 14 years I've lived with the idea that each day could be my last. I have since come to understand that remains true for all of us, I've just had to be more conscious of it. Consequently, my focus has shifted to placing a higher priority on doing some things sooner than later, such as personal relationships and letting those who matter to me know how I feel about them.. Sadly, it played a role in my getting divorced, as my ex-wife's father had lived most of his life with a bad heart condition, dying from complications of of it I his 50's. She told me she didn't want to end up like her mother and caring for a dying man for years. There were other things involved, of course, but it was a contributing factor and it's now been over 10 years and I've managed fine without her. Funny thing is, the guy she married after we divorced has now developed some serious health issues of his own while I keep chugging along.

Anyway, the point of this that I wanted to make, is that sometimes knowing you may not live all that much longer can cause you to make more out of each day than you otherwise might not have. I know it changed my outlook for the better and my life has been fuller because of it.

 

[Fred Werring]

Just got back from cousins funeral. Other cousin did a family tree going back to the 1500s. With the exception of 4 men no man lives past 72. Cousin that died was 4 days into 73 so he did good. I will be 72 in 7 days. It doesn't bother me but I do think about it.

Have a good evening.

My family is the same. And it's not just the men.
It's one of the many reasons I retired from the factory at 62, and started drawing SS then.
The feeling is prevalent among my cousins. One cousin told me he was talking to financial advisor, who was talking about having enough money in his 90's. My cousin just laughed.
Dark humor, but whatcha gonna do?

 

[rrlund]

83 was about average in my family in Dad's generation. My mother's side was later. She was 94, her grandpa was 104.

 

[WalJohn]

My father's heart got him at 49, his father's heart got him at 54. I used to worry until I found out I took after my mother's family. I'll be 75 next week. All the men in her family made it to 80 or better. Longest lived maternal ancestor died 6 months before his turning one hundred.

 

[Russ from MN]

I look at the obituaries every morning, many younger than me, (74). I have been receiving successful cancer treatment for over 10 years, still going strong, I intend to hike over 200 miles in the AZ mountains this winter. I plan on living to 100 or die trying!

 

[Goose]

Most of my ancestors made it to 90 and beyond.

I'm 90, and I've survived 2 back surgeries, open heart surgery with 5 bypasses, Sepsis, and non-Hodgkins lymphoma. I can only assume the Lord is not yet done with me on this Earth.

 

[Buckhammer]

When it comes to the cycle of life get busy doing what you like. It is later than you think it is.

 

[moresmoke]

Maybe God isn't through with you yet

I try to live life such that neither God nor the devil want me.

 

[Tony in SD]

Maybe this explains your longevity. It is from the movie Short Cur uit:

 

[Richard Nixon]

Just got back from cousins funeral. Other cousin did a family tree going back to the 1500s. With the exception of 4 men no man lives past 72. Cousin that died was 4 days into 73 so he did good. I will be 72 in 7 days. It doesn't bother me but I do think about it.

Have a good evening.

I chose my ancestors wisely. Everyone lives until about age 95. My wife is even better. Her mother lived to 103, her mother's sister 102 and grandmother 102. I'm 89 & 1/2 now. Just waiting to see what happens while I farm away. Just finished harvesting soybeans. Won't say anymore about that as the last post on soybeans got poofed.

 

[Gary Mitchell]

Just got back from cousins funeral. Other cousin did a family tree going back to the 1500s. With the exception of 4 men no man lives past 72. Cousin that died was 4 days into 73 so he did good. I will be 72 in 7 days. It doesn't bother me but I do think about it.

Have a good evening.

Grandpa and his past folk lived on side meat, buttermilk, etc, etc. They all died younger. Pop noticed and ate "right" and made almost 96. Coincidence? Suit yourself. gm

 

[Mcrafty1]

When I was 51 I got diagnosed with a congenital heart issue that had been taking out a number of male members on my father's side of the family for years. At the time they had only recently discovered what it was and what we had thought were relatives dying of sudden heart attacks was mostly likely due to this instead. My doctor had thought I had a heart murmur for some time and after a while thought it prudent to have an echocardiogram. The results of this test led to several days at the Mayo Clinic where they came up with the diagnosis. Long story short, it meant that the disease could kill me at pretty much any moment, but was somewhat manageable with regular heart checkups and medication. The nature of the disease is such that the only effective cure has to wait until the disease progresses until a certain point and only then can a surgical intervention be performed. The trick is not die until it reaches that point. It's now been 14 years since that diagnosis and I still have not reached that point. On the good side, during my last echocardiogram, the technician asked if I had had the surgical intervention as there was no obvious sign of the condition. It turns out I have gone into a remission of sorts, but as their knowledge of this condition is so relatively new, there is still quite a bit they don't know about it.

Anyway, for the past 14 years I've lived with the idea that each day could be my last. I have since come to understand that remains true for all of us, I've just had to be more conscious of it. Consequently, my focus has shifted to placing a higher priority on doing some things sooner than later, such as personal relationships and letting those who matter to me know how I feel about them.. Sadly, it played a role in my getting divorced, as my ex-wife's father had lived most of his life with a bad heart condition, dying from complications of of it I his 50's. She told me she didn't want to end up like her mother and caring for a dying man for years. There were other things involved, of course, but it was a contributing factor and it's now been over 10 years and I've managed fine without her. Funny thing is, the guy she married after we divorced has now developed some serious health issues of his own while I keep chugging along.

Anyway, the point of this that I wanted to make, is that sometimes knowing you may not live all that much longer can cause you to make more out of each day than you otherwise might not have. I know it changed my outlook for the better and my life has been fuller because of it.

So true, may you enjoy many more trips around the sun. You have the right attitude though, enjoy each day.