Hi CB, you can imagine the alarm when I read the opening to your post …
<<it made me think of you - about a study of nuns, which ones get Alzheimer's and which don't>>
I thought, oh, shattered, this is the opening of an uncharacteristic attack coming from an unexpected angle originating from rational/logical/collected CB … what to do? DefCon 3.
I was relieved upon reading …
<<happiness, love, hope, gratitude, and contentment>>
and recognised myself.
On happy and hope, my wife has always been alarmed that I am inevitably happy and hopeful, in fact, tremendously excited, each and every time a crisis is threatening our economic wellbeing, be it macro/global instability or my specific active business prospects. We get a lot of crisis out here. It’s a rush, truly.
On love, yup, as long as my baby is with me until the end of time, the business can go elsewhere, easily.
On gratitude, but for the will of god, I would be a happy, hopeful and loving Trinidadian Creole Chinese watermelon salesman somewhere wandering along a highway in China.
On contentment, well, although I keep getting the feeling that “The World is not Enough”, I am OK for right now, as long as I got my true but few buddies and a few boxes of, oh, you know what …
My wife is alarmed at my attitude because she does not care much for small fishing village living in the Philippines, where I would be happy to exist on US$ 1.50 per day. She is not scared by the prospect, but simply concerned that her piano may not do so well in the tropical heat.
OT on long life and Alzheimer’s:
I do not know about my folate either, but if it has anything to do with aluminum, I prefer my beer in bottles, and my cooking done using copper cooking pots.
On cholesterol (no you did not mentioned that), my wife, and in-laws used to worry because I like all high cholesterol foods (fish eggs, goose liver, eggs, and rich pound cake butter and honey sandwiches). My doctor told me that my aggregate cholesterol is quite a bit (30%) over the norm, but with good cholesterol way over and bad cholesterol way under. You can imagine the glee that day as I dug into my dinner at my in-laws.
Some rules I picked up from somewhere once (seemed reasonable) ...
a. Be happy
b. Always have some friends who are younger than oneself
c. Eat fruits and veggies
d. Meat eaters (preferably lamb) should drink some red wine
e. Have a goal (chronological in nature, i.e. I want to see my grand kids get married)
f. Learn new tricks and active many brain pathways (i.e. if good in violin, then learn chess)
g. Keep working (for free if necessary, but be needed)
h. Want to live
i. Exercise
j. Sleep well
In 1984, a bunch of California doctors told my father when he was 78 that he had 3-6 months to live due to prostate cancer had spread to the spinal cord. They gave him oestrogen based maintenance pills and can do no more. Three months later, repeated scans indicated that all cancer had disappeared. “We have never seen anything like this”. The doctors’ explained “He is obviously happy, wants to live and is keeping busy (raising money for disadvantaged children)”. He passed away in 1996, 30 days after fainting from overwork. The 30 days cost the insurance company US$ 450k. The window at the hospital had a nice SF Bay Bridge view.
My father had one brother and two sisters, all older. Of the four siblings, only one sister got Alzheimer’s, and she was a single minded (one interest) choreographer/dancer. My mother took care of her with help.
My mom is now 70, looking 50, climbs mountains (Yosemite), rides elephants (Thailand), and walks briskly for 2 hours per day in the hills.
Any how, since you brought it up, I thought I would offer up a few data points.
Chugs, Jay |
