Turning Ninety

My mom is turning 90 in a few days. I wanted to know what it felt like to be 90, what did she do to get to be 90, and what she viewed as important changes in the world. I know my mom pretty well, but these are not things you go around discussing on a regular basis, so the week before her birthday I interviewed her, asked her a variety of questions, and got some unlikely answers. I don't know many 90 year olds that could match my mom in spirit, curiosity, intelligence or good health. When I asked her how old she felt, she said "70." Lucky her. Lucky me. As to the question "How did you make it to age 90?" Her answer was "Good luck." I strongly disagree with her, considering that her mother and father both died in their early 70's and her brother died in his early 50's. Mom hates to exercise, but still does, at least a minimum amount. She eats healthy and watches her weight, something she has done her entire life. She is engaged in life and learning, again something she has done her whole life. She's always taking a new class, reading a new book, studying the stock market, or planning her next trip. As my mom says, one of the most important things in living a long, productive life, is to always have something to look forward to. That is VERY important, and I think has a lot to do with her longevity. I asked my mom what she thought was the most important invention in her lifetime. She had two answers. For women, my mom feels that the widespread use of birth control(or should I say the widespread use of artificial birth control) has changed women's lives more than anything else. Birth control has made it possible for a woman to determine whether she has children, and when she has children. This is a monumental change for women. Overall, my mom thinks the internet has changed the world more than any other single thing. The internet has made it possible for people throughout the world to communicate instantly, for scientists to share information that might help each other, and for people to learn in ways that were never before possible. I also asked my mom what the greatest event of her life was, and not surprisingly she said, "The birth of her children." I think many of us would say the same thing. One of the hardest things about living to 90 is seeing so many dear friends die. Mom said she has so much sadness from all the deaths and illnesses of friends, but in her inspirational way, she grieves, and then moves on to enjoying her own life. As I age, I find that not all people of a certain age behave the same. My mom is a 90 year old that acts more like a 70 year old. She drives, entertains, travels, reads, learns, discusses and keeps fit. She has a full calendar, and if you want to make a date with her, you better plan early. Opera tickets, theatre tickets, UCLA classes, art exhibits and bridge fill her days. I'm exhausted just thinking about what she does in a day. I look at my contemporaries, and see there is a huge difference in their lifestyles. Some are sedentary and love to stay home and watch TV, read a book, play cards or mah jongg and go out to dinner. Others are out on the tennis court or golf course, riding the waves on a summer afternoon, taking OSHA classes and traveling. Some look at their life as they creep into the 60's, 70's and beyond, as the end of life, while others see it as the beginning of a challenging part of their life. There used to be a billboard on Pico Blvd. in Los Angeles (right near Rancho Park). It was an advertisement for a health club, and it showed a man and woman working out hard and looking exhausted, and the text said, "You can rest when you're dead." I never forgot that billboard, and I think of that phrase often. I don't think my mom has ever seen that billboard, but it is definitely the phrase by which she lives. I think she's doing a good job.