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Pictured: Kyle Marshall Fagin and John Hickman

Less than one year ago, I remember saying to someone, “I hope I live to see one hundred.” The truth is that the mere idea of that sentence conjured up a scene in my mind. Me living, rather compromised, in a nursing home facility; attended to by a host of medical professionals, dressed in white. Having just four walls for company, it didn’t sound like a such an inviting idea. I also pictured that life at one hundred would probably be limited and decidedly full of many more challenges than joys.

Certainly this story would not be uncommon, but Kyle Marshall Fagin and John Hickman showed me that it doesn’t have to be that way.

I had the pleasure of making their acquaintance at the inaugural celebration of the Century Club in the Park Cities. Theirs is certainly an engaging story. Read the rest of this entry »

Friendships are known to lift the spirits of and improve health for our older friends. A famous quote says “As humans, we are social creatures.”  Going out to eat, to the movies, shopping, golfing, hunting, fishing and a host of other activities are much preferred done with someone else.

National Institute of Health studies as well as others show that close friendships among our older generation will improve memory and physical function as well as overall health. Social relationships as we age, provide a way to ease the adjustment to and the acceptance of the inevitable changes that come with the process of living a long time.

Good friends can help with coping skills and with encouraging healthy living choices regarding food, smoking, medical care and exercise. A good friendship can be had on the other side of a phone call, a visit, a letter and even an email. There is great value in participating in a relationship. There area no hard statistics speaking to the number of specific hours needed to qualify one as a friend.  Consistency is important. Keep calling, writing, emailing, and visiting. Isn’t it great to be part of a great idea? This spring and summer, make a pledge to be a friend. What you gain will be at least as much as you give.

Experience the joy of being a blessing to someone.

Love,

Nancy

Pictured: Mary Lou Fife with Maddie Schultzman, Mary Catherine Huffines, Judy Fife Mead, and Lou Ann Raetz

To reach the age of one hundred years is an amazing achievement.  We ate lunch with ten of these friends. That was pretty great!

Not only was our time entertaining, we learned some interesting things as well. One woman, who is one hundred and four, came to Texas in a covered wagon. She said it was a more reliable form of transportation back then and was easier to drive than a car.  She was driving her own car until she was ninety-nine and was traveling to Brazil and the Philippines four times in that same decade.

We enjoyed visiting with two men who were both from Ohio, both had graduated from University of Illinois, Urbana and graduated from there just two months apart, one in 1928 and one in 1930. Although they didn’t know each other previously, they made plans to get together again for dinner before the luncheon had ended. Those of us privileged to share this day with them knew that we were very blessed. Keep your eyes open in Dallas for more information and some wonderful photos in the Park Cities News.

I thought about what one hundred years of age means and I realized that most importantly, I am only half-way through my journey. From some of the discussions I overheard, the next half has a lot of surprises and a lot of love, too.

Thank you for reading these notes

From,

Nancy