Looking in the mirror this morning, I watch my teeth slowly move into alignment. One of the interesting things happening with people now who feel they will be living longer and healthier is a change in what they are willing to accept going forward. At the age of 64, I am beginning the seemingly magical process of Invisalign tooth straightening. Short story is that at age 12 I was told I needed braces, but these were outside of the family financial means. I am straightening my teeth now assuming that I will be alive and healthy for a considerable time into the future which, admittedly, may be a delusion on my part; however, so far the evidence is positive. I just don’t want to be looking at my crooked teeth for decades to come, so I won’t. Allegedly, this tooth alignment process will be done in 14 weeks, which seems quite minor in the scheme of things.
Having a belief in extra years, and possibly decades, of healthy life changes everything. What may have been a minor short-term irritation and not worth the investment may now, if not attended to, be a much longer term nuisance. What may have seemed impossible or impractical is now, with our extra innings, quite doable. That second, third or fourth career could be in the cards. We may invest in home repairs, new clothes or, in my case, straighter teeth, knowing that we are now living the lives of people much younger than would have been expected when we were born. Last year, I heard from an 81-year-old friend that her and her husband were building a new house. One of my fellow ski racers is 79. Our fitness hero Joan MacDonald did not start her amazing transformation until she was 70. This is about people doing things now at an age that may previously have been thought to have been near impossible.
Is this an entirely new life phase, or has the age slinky been pulled open to elongate our current phase? Who knows, but it is happening as we look around us. People are staying in their homes longer, they are looking for new mates, they are going back to college and, most importantly, they are taking care of the health of their body in a far more proactive way than in the past. As our research has shown, if people believe they will live longer and healthier, they tend to act in a way to cause that to happen. This is not to say that we can by force of will escape the gravity of mortality, at least not yet. Also, not everyone can do these sorts of things, as there are many who are coping with real health and life challenges. Stuff happens, and more of it seems to happen as we age. But then, stuff can happen at any age, and the possibility of such should not hold us back from pursuing the dreams and ambitions we have now.
David
