Two articles this past week struck a chord for me. Both featured people much older than I am who are living life well. Makes me think.<\/p>\n
ABQJournal Online \u00bb Climber Still Rocks at 95<\/a> By Ryan Boetel \/ The Daily Times on Thu, Sep 27, 2012<\/p>\n [T]o celebrate his 95th birthday on Monday, John Rusen reached the top of the 30-foot climbing wall at the San Juan College Health and Human Performance Center.<\/p>\n Rusen has a 5-year-old tradition of climbing to the top of the climbing wall for his birthday.<\/p>\n \u201cI was a little rusty,\u201d he said after his climb. \u201cIt was a little bit harder up there than it used to be. But that comes with age, I guess.\u201d <\/p>\n Rusen said he\u2019s been fascinated with rocks and climbing since childhood. He\u2019s summited several 14,000-foot peaks in Colorado and started technical rock climbing more than 40 years ago…. [mjh: when he was just a few years younger than I am now] <\/em><\/p>\n Rusen said he works every day to keep his mind and wiry muscles in shape. He takes his dog for a walk each morning, golfs twice a week, even in winter, chops wood, dances, hikes and skis.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t do structured exercises, but I do something every day,\u201d he said. \u201cI have a yellow Labrador and she insists I go walking every morning. That gets me ready for the day.\u201d<\/p>\n A retired engineer for Schlumberger, Rusen said he reads two books a week and takes courses at San Juan College to work out his mind.<\/p>\n He\u2019s currently enrolled in a mineralogy course.<\/p>\n \u201cMy idea is that you have to keep learning,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019re dying unless you\u2019re growing<\/font> and you\u2019re growing when you\u2019re learning.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n ABQJournal Online \u00bb Climber Still Rocks at 95<\/a><\/p>\n A Candid Conversation With Sandra Day O’Connor: ‘I Can Still Make a Difference’ | Parade.com<\/a> by David Gergen<\/strong><\/p>\n Today at 82, [Sandra Day O\u2019Connor<\/strong>] hasn\u2019t changed a bit. Slender and fit, she still has an adventuresome spirit\u2014the same confidence and drive that propelled her from the high desert to the highest court in the land. \u2026<\/p>\n By this stage in life, most people would put their feet up and say, \u201cI\u2019ve had a good run. Now I\u2019m going to rest and enjoy.\u201d But you\u2014<\/strong> A Candid Conversation With Sandra Day O’Connor: ‘I Can Still Make a Difference’ | Parade.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Two articles this past week struck a chord for me. Both featured people much older than I am who are living life well. Makes me think. ABQJournal Online \u00bb Climber Still Rocks at 95 By Ryan Boetel \/ The Daily Times on Thu, Sep 27, 2012 [T]o celebrate his 95th birthday on Monday, John Rusen … Continue reading Keep Moving, Growing, Learning…<\/span> \n
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I had a good life, and the reason it was a good life is because I stayed busy doing the things that mattered to me. If I stopped doing that, I think my whole life would disintegrate. I want to feel like, to the extent that I\u2019m able to, I can still make a difference.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n