A few years ago I read the book “Blue Zones” and shared several of the stories from the book in my sermons. The book reveals, author, Dan Buettner’s journey around the world as he visits places where people live longer and are healthier than other parts of the world. The book is packed with insight and incredible stories, I especially love this passage from the end of the book:
“Maybe you’ve noticed that the world’s longevity all stars not only live longer they also tend to live better, they have strong connections with their family and friends, they’re active, they wake up in the morning knowing they have a purpose and the world in turn reacts to them in a way that propels them along. An overwhelming majority of them still enjoy life and there’s not a grump in the bunch.”
There is so much to learn about living with purpose and longevity from the interviews in the book, but today, let’s just look at three things we can today!
First, there’s no question that all of us want to live as many years as possible but we also know that the most important thing is not how long we live but truly it is how much life we live in our years. To measure the success of a person’s life by the number of years is a fool’s arithmetic.
When Dan was in Okinawa he met a man named Mr. Yamakawa, Mr. Yamakawa was in his nineties he had been a banker and now he did five things everyday that he felt helped him to live healthy and long and well. Dan wanted to see those things and so he met him at the appointed time which was four thirty am that was the time that Mr. Yamakawa got up every morning and so the first thing they did was they hopped on their bikes and they rode to the beach. When they got to the beach, Mr. Yamakawa swam for thirty minutes then he ran for thirty minutes then he did Yoga stretching for thirty minutes and then he stood around with a group of seniors there and they laughed and they talked and they laughed. When it was all done Dan said I really understand those first four things you would do; cycling, swimming, running, stretching, but what was the last one all about? Mr. Yamakawa said well the last one I do in order to get my Vitamin S, you see if you smile in the morning it fortifies you all day long.
Now Dan would talk about how important it is to get your Vitamin B and C and D and E but he also learned how important it is to get your Vitamin S to smile. For as he traveled around the world and he interviewed the people in their nineties and a hundred who still had a joy of life he realized they had a smile they had their Vitamin S and as a result, there wasn’t a grump in the bunch!
Second, sometimes you and I forget that we have the power of choice. We simply get to choose whether or not we will be a grump or not! You get to choose to do something about your life right now. You have the power to choose and it is not too hard for you to do. This is exactly what Moses was telling the people in Deuteronomy 30:19 when he says today I set before you life and death, blessing and curse, you must choose. It’s true for all of us! God has set before you life and death, blessings and curse and you get to choose- are you a grump? You get to choose!
And third, after Moses presented this choice, he went on to talk to the people about community. He said, when you move into this new promised land, it’s not just about you as an individual it’s about being a community.
When the author of Blue Zones visited Okinawa he met a woman named Kamada, Kamada was a special lady, she was 102 years old. During the interview, he asked her if she had any secrets to share about living beyond 100 years. Here is what she said, “I used to be very beautiful I had hair that came down to my waist, it took me a long time to realize that beauty is within. It comes from not worrying so much about your own problems sometimes you can best take care of yourself by taking care of others.” Anything else, Dan asked? “Yes, eat your vegetables, have a positive outlook, be kind to people and smile.”
So, go ahead and give it a try today: smile, choose to be happy (not a grump!) and take care of someone else!
-Dr. Bob Long
