I have discovered the secret to longevity. It is not seaweed or growth hormones or bovine spleen. What it is may surprise you. But we’ll get to that. First, let me tell you how I came to the revelation about my simple secret to longevity.
We were visiting my parents at their home in North Carolina. As always, Mom had chosen some wonderful hike that would lead us to yet another breathtaking waterfall in the Blue Ridge Mountains. My mother is about the biggest waterfall junkie ever born, but that’s okay because it provides us with a destination and I am so goal-oriented that a destination is important to my enjoyment of our hikes.
This particular waterfall was a popular tourist destination, so our usual family hike that involves me singing, “I Love to Go A-Wandering” at the top of my lungs, was interrupted by other hikers passing us, us passing them, etc., until we convened at the base of the waterfall.
One woman around my age, who had crossed paths with us several times along the way, awkwardly approached my mother at the waterfall. “Excuse me,” she said, “but I’ve been so impressed with your endurance…may I ask how old you are?”
My mother puffed up like a barnyard rooster. I love it when people rave about her youthfulness and she pulls herself up to her full four foot eleven inches, throws her head back and gets the cutest little smug smile on her face. “I’m 83,” she said proudly. “My husband is 85.”
“Oh, my,” the woman was genuinely shocked. “My husband just turned 60 and he made me take this hike alone because he was certain he couldn’t make it. This is a very strenuous hike.”
“Oh, this is just a short hike for us,” my mother stretched even taller. “Last Sunday we hiked 6 miles up Mount LaCont.”
“I can’t believe it,” the woman seemed determined to completely satiate my mother’s ego. “What is your secret?”
“We don’t have a secret,” mom answered. “We stay busy and active. We just don’t let the problems of aging bother us.”
The woman was so impressed that when we saw her later at the town diner, she dragged her poor besieged husband over to introduce him to the couple that made him look like the biggest age wimp ever.
I thought about her question all afternoon. Yes, mom and dad stay physically active, read, travel and stay involved with their grandchildren – all good methods for staying young. But what is the one thing that they do differently than all the other oldsters that sets them apart. What do they do regularly that every other 80+ year old doesn’t do.
The answer hit me one night at dinner. “This pork roast is so delicious,” I said. “Now tell me how you cook it.”
“Well, I just sear it in bacon grease, then pop it in the oven for a couple of hours.”
“It’s so much better than mine,” I commented. “Pass the green beans please. What’s on these beans?
“Crumbled bacon,” mom answered.
“And this wonderful salad dressing?”
“Just a little bacon grease with some red wine vinegar and spices.”
“Mom,” I said. “How much bacon do you and Dad eat anyway?”
“Oh, we don’t eat much bacon,” she replied. “It’s not good for you.’
“Are you kidding?” Dad piped in. “We eat bacon almost every meal.”
“No we don’t,” Mom protested.
“Sure we do,” he insisted. “You put it in everything.” And over the next three days of our visit he appeared to be right. She made us fried rice with bacon in it, stir fried our Chinese vegetables in bacon grease and served a full pound of it for breakfast. And these two people are absolute icons of geriatric fitness.
“It’s bacon,” I told my husband.
“What’s bacon?”
“The secret to longevity. It’s obviously bacon.”
He gave me that look he so often gives me following one of my revelations. “You don’t think it’s because they hike three times a week, your dad chops his own wood every day, and they get excellent medical care?”
“That’s part of it. But they eat bacon every day. We need to eat more bacon!”
He put his glasses back on and went back to reading his newspaper.
I gave his suggestion careful consideration before dismissing it in favor of the bacon theory. And I’ll tell you why. It’s true that my mom loves her hiking. My dad loves the challenge of chopping his own wood. They both love their quick-witted internist who often kids them out of an imagined ailment. They love these things that keep them fit and healthy.
But they also love their bacon. It makes them happy to eat bacon. They eat it every day and feel good doing it. I’m sticking with my original theory on longevity. For them, it’s bacon.
For me, it’s a glass of good wine and a bag of chocolate covered orange gels. If it only gets me to 60, I’ll be a happy 60.
Hang in there. I am sure you are right. Interests that keep your body active and yoru mind alert - plus a minor indulgence to make it all worthwhile - that's the secret of longevity.
For me it's sailing and a glass of wine. Next step 60.
Posted by: Tillerman | August 15, 2006 at 10:03 PM
Philosophical reading and writing and light-hearted philosophical conversation will see you to 100. But listen to the dietician too.
Farman Yusufzai, 84 and in perfect health.
Posted by: Farman Yusufzai | June 27, 2009 at 11:26 AM
Excellent advice, Farman!
Keeping the brain active and nimble with fresh intellectual challenges is an important part of health and longevity.
Posted by: Nancy Nehlsen | June 29, 2009 at 09:51 AM