30,000 Days

That equates 82.2 years. 

The average lifespan for Americans is 79 years. 

Staring at these numbers or counting the days can be nerve wrecking.

Instead, focus on the most important aspect of longevity.

Our quality of life. 

One way to look at it is the quality of our health. 

Are we independent, self-reliant, and able to participate in life events? 

Or are we struggling to get up or live through the day? 

How can we live better?

What kind of life do want to live 10 years from now, 20 years from now, and so on.

The choices we make today have future consequences. 

I learned this at a young age, by observing by grandparents’ lifestyle.

We lived right next to each other, so I got to watch them closely. 

At 5am, they went for morning walks in the park. 

They would get their own groceries, cook three meals, take care of my younger cousin, and enjoy their favorite TV shows. 

Every single day. 

Well into their 90s, a few years before they passed away.  

My grandfather would walk to buy and carry his own groceries.

In our culture, death and old-age are taboo that we are afraid to talk about. 

In Chinese’s Taoist and Buddhist’s philosophy, there is an idea to embrace the inevitable cycle of life. 

“Birth, Aging, Illness, and Death” (生老病死) 

It reminds us aging and death are part of our human existence and experience. 

Now is the time to plan how to flourish, to live well and purposefully. 

Day after day. Moment by moment. 

One at a time.