Rock-Stars-of-Aging-by-Marc-Middleton

Rocks Stars of Aging
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MENTAL STIMULATION
29: Centenarians Are Dedicated Lifelong Learners
“There are people that just wait to get older. And they don’t do
anything to make themselves better. And so they just sit, and pretty
soon they wilt, like a flower. You have to work. You have to work your
mind; your mind is an instrument. You gotta oil and grease it. You
can’t let it wilt.” -- Ruth Hamilton, world’s oldest blogger (April 21,
1898 – January 18, 2008)
The old adage “use it or lose it” seems to be especially true when it
comes to your mind. Centenarians never stop learning. They are
always looking for opportunities to learn something new.
Research confirms a positive correlation between the years spent in
school and the number of years a person will live. The more
education you have, the greater your chances of living to 100. But
here’s the good news -- education doesn’t have to be formal, it
doesn’t have to be linear, it doesn’t have to be traditional and it
doesn’t have to be advanced.
You can go back to school after you have your kids or grandkids. You
can enroll in classes while you are working. You can learn how to
paint or how to fix appliances. You can study history or photography.
Anything is possible, acceptable and beneficial.
“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty.
Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is
to keep your mind young.” -- Henry Ford, industrialist (July 30, 1863 –
April 7, 1947)
Rock Stars of Aging
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