Earlier this summer I had to send a cousin some information.  I asked for his email address and he told me he didn’t have one.  He said he isn’t very good at technology and doesn’t have time for it.  I was gobsmacked.  No email?  Seriously?  To me, email is the technological version of an indoor toilet.  It’s a first world basic.  I mean you don’t have to have an indoor toilet but it sure is convenient and a hell of a lot warmer in January.  My eighty-five-year-old mother has navigated email for years.  Equally shocking is the fact that this same cousin still smokes cigarettes.  

Perhaps I’m sheltered but I didn’t realize smoking cigarettes was still a thing.  Even consuming pot which has become as common as chewing gum seems to eschew smoking.   One trip to your local dispensary, assuming it is legal in your area and if it’s not it will be in the next five minutes, and you’ll see any number of ways to get your fix that doesn’t involve setting it on fire and sucking it into your lungs.  Back in the day cigarette smoking was common, hell we all tried it, but now I think my cousin’s the only person I know who still uses tobacco.  Given all we know about the horrific impact smoking has on a body, continuing to use it doesn’t feel like a well-considered choice.  It also feels like he’s a relic from another era yet he’s only 60. 

In contrast to my cousin was a man that lived across the street from me for years.  We had moved from the city to a small town and one of the first people we met was John Chappell.  He was a remarkable guy who, that year, was turning 90 and still lived on his own.  Over the next decade and through many conversations, I got to know John well.  To say John was fit and spry would be an understatement.  He kept in shape through a simple yet effective exercise regime.  Every day he’d do push ups and sit ups before heading out for a walk.  This was his routine for most of his life and he maintained the practice well into his nineties.

John would walk no matter how hot, cold or miserable the weather.  People would often spot him far across town in the most extreme conditions and offer him a ride home.  I don’t know of a time that he ever accepted one.  John continued to walk until his body finally betrayed him, and he could no longer safely do so.   It wasn’t that he couldn’t walk – he was plenty fit.  Staying upright was his problem.  John’s balance was shot.  He blamed it on an inner ear issue, and he was probably right.  It forced John who was 97 to become homebound.  

A couple years earlier, after a particularly nasty snowstorm I was out shoveling my driveway as John was setting out on his daily walk.   He stopped and I asked what was new with him.  He told me that he’d been to a birthday party for a youngster – I imagined a grand or great grandchild.  I was wrong.   This youngster was an 85-year-old and by John’s account it was a terrific bash.   We chatted some more and then he said he’d better get moving as he had a computer lesson that afternoon.  I was impressed that he was learning to navigate a PC at his age.  I was firmly corrected; he was learning to code!  Not only that but it turned out his teacher was the same fellow whose birthday he’d been celebrating.  That’s right, the 85-year-old was teaching the 95-year-old how to write computer code.  Here I was in my late forties working in a technology dependant industry and I hadn’t the faintest idea how computers even worked let alone write code for them.  I hung my head in shame and I continued to clear the snow as John set off on his walk.  

John is gone now.  He passed away a month short of his 105^th birthday.  It was a remarkable life.  By all measures his final few years weren’t his best but he did have 100 good ones.  Who wouldn’t want 100 good years?  I have no doubt that John’s mindset helped him live that long, productive and enjoyable life.  He was flexible in both body and mind.  That’s not to say he wasn’t stubborn – just ask his daughter – he could be like a bulldog at times.  But John held a mindset of lifelong learning as its core.  His mind was always open to new ideas and technologies.   He didn’t shun “new-fangled gadgets” rather he embraced them.   He used technology to help keep his mind active.  Through the internet he corresponded with people all over the world, trading thoughts and ideas.  He stayed connected to lifelong friends and made new ones.   He watched (and recorded) TV shows and documentaries voraciously.  And he read consistently since he was a young boy.  

John’s exercise regime was a product of his time in the military during World War II.  He simply continued the exercises he did in basic training for the rest of his active life.  I have no doubt that his fitness played a key role in his longevity and the quality of his years.  Yet his mental health was of equal importance.  Undoubtedly the two fed each other – his mindset fueled his physical health while the exercise was as beneficial to his brain as it was his body.  

The key lesson from John Chappell’s life is to maintain fitness in both your mind and body.  After all what good is a fit body if you can’t remember to put pants on?  Being physically fit is relatively easy – if nothing else go for a brisk walk daily and fuel yourself with good, nutritious food.   Staying mentally fit is another story.  Sure, you can do the Soduku in the local paper but if you’re not challenging yourself any more than that it’s not likely doing you much good.  No, keeping mentally fit is also about staying curious.  It’s about continuing to learn new things long after your school days are over.   It’s embracing lifelong learning as a way of living.  

This doesn’t mean you have to enroll for an MBA.  Learning has never been easier, more convenient or inexpensive than it is today. With a smart phone and internet connection the world is yours.  I enrolled in the online learning course called Masterclass (you couldn’t miss their ads if you tried).  If that’s not your thing, I think you can learn pretty much anything through YouTube videos.  I’ve even done something more revolutionary – I went to the library.  Yes, libraries still exist – the internet hasn’t put them out of business…yet – and they’re filled with the knowledge of the world.  I realized libraries are one of the most underutilized resources we have available today and they’re free!  I’m planning on being a regular at our local branch.  

Keeping active both physically and mentally isn’t that difficult.  To me, not being active is downright dangerous.  Remember a body at rest is open to rust and a mind that is closed is prone to stagnation and then rot.  It’s vital we keep them both active. 

I don’t know if my cousin will ever embrace technology or stop smoking for that matter.  I hope he does both and moves into this century.  Personally, I can’t imagine a life where I couldn’t learn new things, no more than I can imagine taking up smoking.  No, I plan to walk in John Chappell’s footsteps and live as many good years as I possibly can.