ENDURE: October 25, 2013

What if it really WERE just a number?

Everywhere we go, we're confronted with one of the realities of life…we're not getting any younger.  We see it at work, we see it at home, and we see it everywhere in between.  We're constantly reminded that each and every day, whether we get wiser or not, alas, we still get older.

But what if age was truly "just a number" as so many people like to say? What if a big part of its effects was a choice, something our perceptions influenced as much as our realities?  Sure there's something to be said for "good genes" (even though nearly every study on the subject makes it clear that our habits can act as either gasoline or water on that particular fire); and it's true, aging inevitably leads to one of Ben Franklin's (more famously credited to Mark Twain) two "certainties in life."  But what if you came to learn that the only real value in counting years was for record keeping purposes and you were able to eliminate the power "getting older" had on your life.  Recently I've had the pleasure of witnessing some moments, hearing some stories and CONNECTING with some folks where it sure seems that age really was just a number, a number they weren't about to let slow them down.

Last week I found myself presenting at a meeting to a group of folks who do some very hard work.  Theirs is a job that requires heavy construction in one of the busiest places on the planet.  I started to talk a little bit about why age is NOT the only thing that matters when it comes to preventing injury and I used an example of a person who had done this kind of work for 40 years and how impressed I was with that.  Well, suffice it to say the group, as they looked across the room and nodded at one particular gentleman, weren't nearly as impressed.  As it turns out, the gentleman they were nodding at had completed more than fifty years of work.......and by the sound of it, he's not ready to be done yet.  This, frankly, is stunning.  As a physical therapist, I am rarely surprised by the potential and adaptability of the human body, but this is in a league all its own.....the embodiment of "ENDURE" and a testament to the power to just keep bouncing back when you work hard and then RECOVER every day.

A week or so prior, I found myself similarly impressed.  This time, it was at my youngest brother's wedding.  It was one of those emotional roller-coaster days for sure......amazing happiness for Greg and his new wife Jess, but also trying not to be the mushy-dad as I thought about how fast time flies when my daughters processed down the aisle as part of the wedding party.  If there was ever a moment you realize how fast "that number" seems to grow.  Yet, later that night at the reception I was brought back to the reality of how much still can be ahead.  It was then that my grandfather, at nearly 90 years old, went over to the woman in the red dress (Gina, who happens to be a member of the Pro-Activity team) and asked her to dance.  How awesome is that?  I hope that if/when I reach such a lofty perch, I too won't hesitate to get out there and MOVE.

Finally, yesterday, only moments after sending a congrats email to a triathlete-friend on his most recent personal record setting effort (about 20 years AFTER his physiological "peak", he just keeps getting better), Justin recounted a story he had recently heard about a centenarian (and then some) who attributed some of her longevity to some changes she had "recently" made to her FUELING strategy. By the sounds of it, she (sort of nonchalantly) said to the group of folks she was in.....(paraphrasing) - "you know, it's really not that complicated; if I can do it anyone can, and I've been doing it for about fifty years now". Maybe it is just a number.

I'm certain that there have been days for any of these folks that they felt tired and run down.  I'm certain there have been days when these folks just wanted to be lazy and stay in bed or let life come to them.  However, if results are a window into the actions of the past, there couldn't have been many days like this.  It's extraordinary what ordinary people can do.

Now go do something extraordinary,

Mike Eisenhart, PT

Managing Partner, Pro-Activity