jollystomper
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2012
- Messages
- 6,216
That got me thinking about the healthiest "senior senior" I know. DW has a uncle, her mother's oldest brother, who is now 93 and in excellent shape. He exercises daily and goes for daily jogs in a park near where he lives. He is at a healthy weight. He is somewhat eccentric about eating only things he has grown or raised himself as much as possible (and very little meat), or only shop at like Trader Joes.How was he supported throughout his life?
However... he never really has had the stress of having a job. He has been on a "never enough to learn" quest since I have known him. He is intellectually brilliant, several undergraduate and graduate degrees, but has mainly written poetry (volumes, but won't publish as he feels it is "demeaning" to do so and will only be valuable after he dies). Poetry readings at several Ivy league colleges is probably the closest thing he has done to work. He can play several instruments and has written music but won't do anything in public. He was supported by his mother until she died. She left money for him that was managed by one of his brothers (who also has since died); it enabled him to purchase and live in a nice downtown area of a city which has since gentrified and increased the value of his house tenfold over the last 20 years.
Once could argue that some of his excellent health and longevity has been due to never having the pressures of a job (or any accountability beyond studying). Now that his brother who has taking care of him has died, I don't know where he will continue to look for support (there is enough general dysfunction among MIL and her siblings that DW does not want to get drawn into it).