Two Brothers, An Outsider, An Aging Barber And A Supercentenarian Suggest Life Is To Be Lived Longer Than Otherwise Thought.

Aging is something some people embrace and others fear. A friend of mine, Les, is 63yrs. He is an energetic individual who truly lives his life to the full. His white hair betrays the youthful looks of his face. Just recently I was introduced to Les' 74yr old brother Eddie. Now Eddie, I thought, was around 50yrs when I saw him sitting down prior to being introduced. Good looks, healthy skin, and a youthful appearance evidently are a feature of the brothers' inheritance, even if they do not look related, and could be around the same age. 

Myself, I am a septuagenarian, but I haven't begun to think what I will look and feel like when I cross the line to become an octogenarian. When I injure myself, the injuries seem to be more severe, even though they are minor. Just recently I stabbed myself accidently with a very sharp pointed knife, striking the carpal bone below my left index finger on the palm of my hand. This took three weeks to heal to my satisfaction, even if the pain was merely a lingering sensation magnified in my mind. 

As much as I would like to return to the fitness I enjoyed fifteen years ago, I am finding it difficult to do so. Maybe I haven't the same incentive these days. For irrespective of what people tell me regarding how well I look for my age, I know that I am not as fit and agile as I was when I was approaching 60yrs of age. Back then, brimming with energy, I was able to enthusiastically exercise two hours in the gym, cycle 10 km and swim 10 laps of the pool 5 days a week. These days, I am finding it difficult to do 1 hour in the gym and swim 4 laps of the pool. 

After suffering an injury to my spine from a physical assault that impinged the nerves in my neck, which affected the movement of my arms, getting back into a training routine has been difficult. All the more so, due to the restrictions imposed during the "covid plan-demic" and the sports facility that I attend undergoing various renovations, which took some 12 months to accomplish.  I remind myself how I had to push myself to do physically strenuous activities when I was younger and the age component is all in the mind. Still the mirror doesn't lie, especially when someone much younger than myself is standing behind me. 

For some reason, age just catches up to us, no matter how much we may try to beat it, or we just want to enjoy the euphoria that comes with endorphins expressing themselves in our cerebral cortex to the thrill of the rest of our cells. When a person like myself is used to high energy outputs, and prolonged ones at that, lying down all day doesn't cut it, sitting engaged at the computer has it drawbacks. There is something glorious about knowing and feeling physically free to move without restrictions, acting quickly without thought of consequences, and jumping for joy from the bed in the morning, instead of moaning about aches and pains when trying to roll out over the side.

I must admit, these days I consider that there is the strong probability that I might get to 100 years and still have, for my age, excellent reflexes and bountiful energy. For someone who was told, when 16 yrs old, he looked 10 years older (26 yrs) than his age , little did I imagine that I would still have the teeth I did at 60 yrs, let alone now that I am in my 70s. The encouragement that I have received from the unexpected compliments concerning my age since my 50s have contributed to my believing that I ought not be retired and I should be actively doing what I love to do; especially so, when I read about the Shitsui Hakoishi and Jeanne Calment.

Shitsui Hakoishi

Japanese barber Shitsui Hakoishi is 108 years old and still cutting hair for clients in her barber shop. She has earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest female barber alive. Shitsui is probably worthy of a number of records such as oldest self-employed woman and oldest barber, just to name two. The lack of blood on the clean towels behind gave one wag the confidence to contemplate visiting her for a full shave with an open (cut throat) razor. 

The fact that Shitsui is still working could be for a number of reasons:

1. She may not be entitled to a pension.
2. She may be too proud to go on a pension.
3. She may like cutting hair.
4. She may like looking after her clientele.
5. She may enjoy catching up with her clientele's news.
6. She would otherwise be lonely if she were not cutting the hair of her clientele.
7. She may get bored if she is not cutting hair and talking to her clientele.
8. She keeps better health when she is attending to her clientele.
9. She values the relationships she has developed over the years with her clientele.
10. Her clientele love her so much, they seek her out, and she cannot say no.

Jeanne Calment

The oldest verified person to have lived, according to the Guinness Book of Records, was Jeanne Calment,  born in Arles, France, on 21 February 1875, who died at the age of 122 years 164 days on 4 August 1997.

She smoked cigarettes since she was 21 and gave them up on doctor's advice at the age of 117. Three months later, she took up smoking again, as she felt depressed. She eventually did give up smoking before she turned 120 years of age.

As it happened, after her husband's death, the family lawyer suggested in 1967 that he would buy her property off her and pay her 1000 francs until her death, so she need not be anguish about income.  The lawyer died when she was around 100 years old. His estate continued paying the 1000 francs until her death, whereupon it received full ownership of the property. The cheap buy turned out more expensive than expected. 

Calment has been charged with fraud. She looked to healthy as she aged. One researcher claimed that she died and her daughter assumed her mother's identity to escape inheritance duties. Her daughter died at 37 and so did her daughter's only child die around the same age. However, Fernand Calment, Jeanne's husband lived until he was 95 years old, and towns-people interviewed by investigators verify these facts, also claiming that there was no switch taking place.  

Had there been any whiff of fraud, the family lawyer would have been the first to know, you would think. Unless he was deceived by his own lecherous plan of attempting to buy her property after her husband's death for a steal. But this is unlikely, because he would have spoken to her and been well aware of the difference between Jeanne and her daughter.

When we consider aging, health and wellbeing are more important than anything else. Growing old and being a vegetable or couch potato or needing golf carts or the like, walkers, crutches or canes is not something anyone ought be envisaging. More prudent to eat healthily, exercise frequently, meditate and ponder on enjoying life than live as what some might perceive as careless and carefree. For the careless rarely end up being the carefree.