I have noticed that an unusually large number of employees at my mom's nursing home smoke. I've been shaking my head wondering why people who are in the health profession smoke. I think I found the answer the other day.

I was talking to a nurse and saying how I'm too young (okay, I'm 47) to know so much about what happens when you get old. It scares me. I said, "I don't know how you guys who work here can deal with everything you see and know about old age."

The nurses reply was, "That's why we smoke, drink, and eat all the foods that clog your arteries. We don't want to live past 70."

What does everyone else think. Is it better to eat, drink and be merry and hopefully, not live too long? Or is better to deny yourself some of the things you enjoy and do some things you don't like (like exercise) so you stay healthy as long as possible?

Someone once said to me, "they want to die young and be a beautiful corpse." I don't know if dying before 70 qualifies for the beautiful part but I doubt worrying about what you eat etc. really helps and I've been called a health nut. I sort of feel now that I'm near 64, that I want to enjoy whatever is left and to hell with all the worrying....eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you may die, is truer now than ever before.. on this planet.

I want to stay around as long as I'm physically and mentally sound. Have you ever seen someone die of lung cancer? They may go "early" but it's a horrible way to go, and not what I'd called "enjoyable." And the old canard "you are what you eat": you eat a lot of garbage and your body turns to garbage. I have a friend who is at least 200 lbs. overweight. She may enjoy eating everything she wants but she can't walk a city block, can hardly do anything and has numerous (and increasingly serious) health problems etc. etc. This is not the quality of life I'd choose. She's 55 and probably won't last long at this rate.

From what I've seen, age takes either your body or your mind. And you have to function until death without one of those aspects of life. Hey, I'm ready. Don't want to live to be old. Maintenance is too much trouble and what's to loo forward to?.
smile

I think you just have to be happy with who you are and what you do in life.

Every now and then my husband and I look at people who live high on the hog; lots of partying, frivolous spending, drinking, and burning the candle at both ends.

Then we say they'll probably live to be a hundred and we'll drop dead of a heart attack.

But it really doesn't matter. God isn't fair and we might just as well get use to it.

We have to live the lifestyle that suits us best and leave the rest to God. I still choose a healthier life style even if I may come across to others as a bore.

The important thing is to develop yourself spiritually which is what's important in the next world. But why abuse yourself?

That particular nursing home sounds rather depressing, doesn't it? My folks are 86 and living in a retirement community that has an extended care wing if and when it becomes necessary. My dad said today that the important thing was being in a place with intelligent people -- they're making new friends every day and having the time of their lives there.

I don't think that old age necessarily equals ill health and maybe that's because I've had some excellent role models who've lived long, happy, healthy, productive lives.

Maybe your time is up when your number's up and it doesn't matter if you're well or ill, young or old.

I took one of those tests one time that tells you how long you should live based on genetics and your lifestyle. I'm suppose to live to be 94. Who knows?

My biological father is 72 and still breaking horses and lifting weights. He's had prostrate cancer and eats and drinks all the things you're supposed to to keep the cancer from returning. My biological mother is 79 and has had breast cancer. She's not so good on eating the right things (she eats too little) but she walks 2-5 miles 3 days a week.

I get the feeling cancer is in my future but I figure I should take care of my body in case I do live to be 94. Trashing yourself doesn't mean you'll die young.

I think that each person must decide how 'he or she' is going to live. Each day we all make choices that will extend or shorten our lives. From reading the Bible I know that our Lord wants us to be healthy; physically, mentally and spiritually.

Because we each have a destiny, a plan in life, I think it might be wise to live a healthy lifestyle. Who knows what wonders He has planned for us tomorrow--next week--next year?