Live long and prosper

Be adaptable and have a purpose
One of the best recipes for ageing gracefully is to try and retain a flexible outlook on life. There is nothing like a rigid adherence to routine to make you old before your time. It is easy as you get older to think you have to settle for what you have left. I knew a woman who started to learn to drive when she was 62. It took her five goes at the test before she was successful. She says now that it is as if a whole new world has opened up for her. Another man of my acquaintance suffered a heart attack at 50 and then took up walking. He is now 73 and has walked the length and breadth of the country.

Having a purpose is central to living long and prospering. For some this will be a question of faith. A belief that sustains and informs their life. For others, work, new interests or family are the force that drives them. You have a reason for getting up each day, regardless of how old you are.

Live in the moment
It is a condition of modern life that we all appear to be searching for contentment. But this is one case where the destination is not better than the journey. Living in the here and now is possibly the hardest thing for anyone to pull off. Someone wise said the way to age gracefully is to appreciate each day and each season. That it is the life not lived that we really regret.

There seems no better recommendation if we are to live long and prosper, that and a drink of whisky and a good man, of course.