I was surprised when my Dad agreed to an interview on what he calls my “radio show”.
Truth be told, I think he had fun.
Yet in true Dad fashion after the interview was over he was worried about what people would think about him.
On the podcast he said “I spent my entire life listening, observing and learning about people.”
That’s a skill he’s perfected and made him a lot of friends over the years and is probably why I call him 2-3 times a day!
He asks a lot of questions.
For much of my younger years I felt like he was interrogating me, now I see it was his way of learning about my experiences.
As I get older I find his inquisitiveness fascinating as he has a way of asking questions that help him to diagnose an issue with a car, sleuth out a handyman project and help his friends.
His friends and my family members have told me many times they stop by the bar at my Dad’s scheduled “bar hours” to get his opinion on their projects.
Funny thing is I’ve really only seen him ask questions and listen, there’s very little true opinion giving.
Like a skilled life coach he guides people to their own solutions.
Genius really, wish I would have realized this in my teen years.
In this podcast, he drops a lot of wisdom nuggets from the power of making mistakes to why having hobbies and a social life are crucial plus the benefits of pushing yourself and knowing your limits.
From what I can tell, my Dad has 13 of the main characteristics of the centenarians in the highly researched Blue Zones.
- Moving all day
- Maintaining muscle and physical independence
- The yeat enough to nourish themselves
- They have a strong sense of purpose
- They have a strong social network
- Family comes first
- They have ways of downshifting stress
- They spend time outdoors
- They maintain a daily routine
- They eat a plant forward diet
- Alcohol isn’t absent
- They stay optimistic
- They continue contributing as they age from gardening to community
Note that many of what’s on that list isn’t what’s being touted in the biohacking and functional medicine space.
I don’t see daily use of supplements, working out at the gym, high protein intake on the list.
While I think fitness and strength is important, I don’t believe you have to go to the gym.
Protein is a funny one, I think a lot of people under eat protein and would get more if they ate less non-processed foods.
My Dad is a chips and salsa junkie and he does like his pastries as well as dark chocolate and almonds yet he eats a lot of my home cooked meals, so maybe there’s an offset there.
Either way, I find it fascinating to ponder longevity and really what it takes to live well longer.
What if connection, listening and community are what society is missing when it comes to living well?
I’m done listening to folks my age talk about longevity like they really know what they are talking about.
Wisdom is built with age, talk to those older than you, take time to listen and see what nuggets you get.
Here’s to honing in on your listening skills,
Dr. J
