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Dalton
Roberts |
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For years I have said the Watering
Trough where I grew up is the fountain of youth Ponce de Leon was
hunting. How embarrassed I am to now admit Sophia Loren has a better
idea. She said, “There is a fountain of
youth. It is your mind, your talents – the creativity you bring to
your life and the lives of people you love.” Nothing helps a person stay young
like using their mind. Have you noticed that those who work puzzles and
read books are ever fresh and interesting? My father died sitting at the
kitchen table working a crossword puzzle. I am certain he would have
liked that as well as any other way to go. At 83 his mind was sharper
than ever. Maybe not his memory but the creative functioning of his mind
was still solid as one of the VW motors he loved to work on. We spend way too much time worrying
about memory loss and too little thinking of ways to make our minds
function more efficiently. Memory relates to the past and efficient
thinking relates to the present. Nothing wrong with little trips to the
past but like people say about places they merely like to sample, “A
good place to visit but not a good place to live.” Sophia is right, too, about our
talents being a fountain of youth. A friend of mine was a great
entertainer but quit because he was “too old.” He’d discuss
putting together a new CD or doing a painting and would sometimes
murmur, “I may not live long enough to finish it.” Guess what? He
died before he got started. I am so proud of Jimmy Tawater,
maybe the greatest entertainer we have had here in Chattanooga. He
retired from nightclub playing years ago but has come up with a great
new CD, “The Cleveland Grease Pit Orchestra” (www.bloozfrog.com). To
me, he is still a young sprout. Do what you do as long as you are
breathing. St. Francis was an avid gardener. One day a friend walked
down to his garden to talk with him and asked, “What would you do
today if you knew this would be your last day on Earth?” St. Francis
said, “I’d keep working in my garden.” Our egos make a big deal of death
but it’s pretty commonplace. It’s been going on a long time.
Billions and billions of people have done it. We cannot live while we
are absorbed in thoughts of dying. Make out a will, write out some
thoughts for people you love, and get right back to living with relish
and gusto. Die happy. Maybe that’s why the
Indians called the next life the “happy hunting ground.” Don’t
despoil the happy hunting ground by walking in sucking on a persimmon. Sophia says bringing creativity to
your life is part of the fountain of youth. I have adopted the practice
of using the first day of each month to look at my life and ask the
simple question, “Is there a better way to do what I do? Where can I
improve my music, column writing and song writing?" Just one little
new trick, one juicy idea can make a large difference in how well we do
what we do. One thing I always add is, “How can I enjoy it more?” We
only get good at things we enjoy. I like the last idea from Sophia of
applying creativity to the lives of people we love. The thing that kills
more marriages and friendships than any other thing is taking people for
granted. Someone sent me an email telling
how to say “I love you” in 25 languages.That might come in handy if
you’re going on a world tour looking for romance. It would add much
more quality to our lives if we just came up with one new way now and
then to show someone we care. Try Sophia’s formula and start
feeling younger today.
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