[duffysmom]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

If I had a choice to choose healthy or unhealthy, healthy is better.

In caring for myself in the way I cared for my children, seeing that I get exercise and eat a variety of foods with a treat now and then, I find that I am happy, I will embrace it and live in it and drink all of the joy in my cup.

If, illness is sent to me, and my time on this earth is ending, I will try to be happy, I will embrace the time I have, I will surround myself with friends and good times, and drink all of the joy in my cup.

No one, not any single one of us is getting out of here alive.

Some of us have kept a firm faith in the hereafter and some have not.

If there is a good and loving God, he would want us to enjoy the life he has given. And if there is not a good and loving God, then this is the time that we are given.

Thinking about our physical health too much can rob us of our mental health.

Those of us that are too fixated on a subject are sure we are NOT fixated on a subject. Others around us can spot obsession in us when we cannot see it in ourselves.

Again I say, NONE of us are getting out of here alive.

Today is the day, to dance and swim, to golf and laugh, to walk and to chat, to linger over coffee, to have a glass of wine, to breathe in the sunshine and enjoy the sunset. Right now is the time to touch, to hug, to share and to laugh and to forgive.

Tomorrow may not come.

Gracie, I love the wisdom of your post and I agree with every word. Thank you for putting my feelings about this topic into words.

[pooh]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

If I had a choice to choose healthy or unhealthy, healthy is better.

In caring for myself in the way I cared for my children, seeing that I get exercise and eat a variety of foods with a treat now and then, I find that I am happy, I will embrace it and live in it and drink all of the joy in my cup.

If, illness is sent to me, and my time on this earth is ending, I will try to be happy, I will embrace the time I have, I will surround myself with friends and good times, and drink all of the joy in my cup.

No one, not any single one of us is getting out of here alive.

Some of us have kept a firm faith in the hereafter and some have not.

If there is a good and loving God, he would want us to enjoy the life he has given. And if there is not a good and loving God, then this is the time that we are given.

Thinking about our physical health too much can rob us of our mental health.

Those of us that are too fixated on a subject are sure we are NOT fixated on a subject. Others around us can spot obsession in us when we cannot see it in ourselves.

Again I say, NONE of us are getting out of here alive.

Today is the day, to dance and swim, to golf and laugh, to walk and to chat, to linger over coffee, to have a glass of wine, to breathe in the sunshine and enjoy the sunset. Right now is the time to touch, to hug, to share and to laugh and to forgive.

Tomorrow may not come.

Thank you, you are loved, Gracie!

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

If I had a choice to choose healthy or unhealthy, healthy is better.

In caring for myself in the way I cared for my children, seeing that I get exercise and eat a variety of foods with a treat now and then, I find that I am happy, I will embrace it and live in it and drink all of the joy in my cup.

If, illness is sent to me, and my time on this earth is ending, I will try to be happy, I will embrace the time I have, I will surround myself with friends and good times, and drink all of the joy in my cup.

No one, not any single one of us is getting out of here alive.

Some of us have kept a firm faith in the hereafter and some have not.

If there is a good and loving God, he would want us to enjoy the life he has given. And if there is not a good and loving God, then this is the time that we are given.

Thinking about our physical health too much can rob us of our mental health.

Those of us that are too fixated on a subject are sure we are NOT fixated on a subject. Others around us can spot obsession in us when we cannot see it in ourselves.

Again I say, NONE of us are getting out of here alive.

Today is the day, to dance and swim, to golf and laugh, to walk and to chat, to linger over coffee, to have a glass of wine, to breathe in the sunshine and enjoy the sunset. Right now is the time to touch, to hug, to share and to laugh and to forgive.

Tomorrow may not come.

I can feel the joy. (All the way up here in Canada!) GG, you've got a great attitude.

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by lightworker888

I don't get the correlation between happy and disregard for health.

Well, evidently, it's not something that's easy to understand. This study was conducted by doctors/psychologists. If you are one who likes psychology and believes in psychology you might believe that the study has some merit. If not (if you have an attitude against it) you will likely think it's a lot of rubbish. Everyone is free to believe it or not.

Something is missing in the definition.

Well, maybe so. I'm trying my best to get the important information to bring this into proper focus but I can't bring you everything that's in the book.

Happiness to me would have to be defined by self, not by others.

It was defined by self. The study subjects were interviewed over and over throughout their lives. When the study began, they didn't know what the conclusion would be or what information would be the most important. So they also interviewed the parents and teachers. They were simply compiling as much information as they could. They looked at the whole personality of the child.

The old saying about laughing on the outside and crying on the inside is closer to the truth than we may realize.

So you're saying that all those study subjects (out of 1,500 kids), who were judged by the psychologists to be happy or cheerful, were really crying on the inside and had everyone fooled, including their parents and teachers?

I think that a happy person would be one who sees life as a glass half full and could find the silver lining in all situations. I don't think that happy-go-lightly is necessarily an accurate indication of a happy heart.

What about a combination of all of the above? A person who sees the best in all situations etc. etc.

I do think that a truly happy person is content with his/her lot in life and enjoys other people and their successes. I think people can be very happy and still stay conscious around their food choices. They can still choose not to drink or smoke. In fact that can make them happy if they think they are looking after themselves.

I did more reading last night to refresh my memory and read that they did have one request when looking for volunteers for the study. They looked for students who were "bright". Most of them grew up to be successful professionals. Yes, as I said before, it's possible to be happy and still make good choices. And, yes, that's what makes me happy, the fact that I've made good lifestyle choices, even though there were some bumps along the way.

To be continued:

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by Barefoot

32 posts on this topic and you know what? I think Villages PL is winking and kidding around with us. I honestly don't think that anyone truly believes that joy, happiness and bliss are bad things.

Well, your post made me laugh, though I'm not quite sure why. The book is a real book; I couldn't make that up. Children who just naturally have happy personalities don't live as long as others. The doctors had to admit that they were as surprised as anyone. They didn't see that coming.

But I agree that I do need to do more explaining. So stay tuned.

[Villages PL]

This may help to put things in perspective:

The childhood personality that best predicted longevity was conscientiousness (i.e., a person who is organized, prudent, studious, persistent, a little obsessive, and NOT carefree).

It was not the sociable personality and not cheerfullness that predicted longevity.

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by Mudder

I don't think VPL is kidding around at all. VPL's whole life seems consumed with health issues, good and bad. VPL also loves to pose controversal statements, ok, maybe that is VPL's sense of humor.

I don't appreciate you talking about me like that and I would delete it if I were the moderater. But I'm not, so I guess I have to live with it. It stinks.

By the way, a study started in 1922 is very out of date even with the updates. We know so much more now about how the brain works, etc....reminds me of VPL's Okinawa study references which are also out dated now.
I'm going out now to play pickleball which brings me joy , bliss, sweat and then the right to go out to Subway to eat ! Cheers.

The doctor who started the study died in 1957. New doctors took over using the same valuable data that had been collected in previous years.
So your judgement was nothing more than "trash" talk or shall we say "wishful thinking".

[rubicon]

One definition of "intelligent" is a person who refuses to be unhappy.

Life is full of sadness so when something good occurs embrace every bit of it.

Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

There is no sense being a grump if you can't act like one.

A smile precedes a happy thought

More than intelligence and creativity, "adapting" is the quality that preserves our species.

I opine you decide

[quirky3]

Originally Posted by Villages PL

This may help to put things in perspective:

The childhood personality that best predicted longevity was conscientiousness (i.e., a person who is organized, prudent, studious, persistent, a little obsessive, and NOT carefree).

It was not the sociable personality and not cheerfullness that predicted longevity.

omg. I am doomed to live forever.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by quirky3

omg. I am doomed to live forever.

YOU ARE NOT! But I wish you would. You are a sweetie!

[justjim]

Good wife, good food and good wine is the absolute secret to longevity. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by quirky3

omg. I am doomed to live forever.

When you get to be a supercentenarian (110+), perhaps we could get together and talk about it.

[quirky3]

Originally Posted by Villages PL

When you get to be a supercentenarian (110+), perhaps we could get together and talk about it.

Well, we may both be too busy being a little obsessive. But that's very carefree of you to suggest.

[lightworker888]

Just found this link. Somewhat limiting but fun to check out.


Are You Careful, Conscientious, or Carefree?

Enjoy!


LW888

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by lightworker888

Just found this link. Somewhat limiting but fun to check out.


Are You Careful, Conscientious, or Carefree?

Enjoy!


LW888

That was interesting. At first I worried about the way the questions were worded. For example: "Poor spelling and grammar drive you crazy." At first I didn't check it off because of the phrase "drive you crazy". But I do worry about my spelling and grammar; when I get things wrong, as I sometimes do, I find it annoying. So, assuming that "annoying" is about the same as "drive you crazy", I decided to check it off. The final result was "You are careful". But I don't consider careful to be different than conscientious. I believe a conscientious person is a careful person. There I go, being obsessive again. :-)

Anyway, the book, "The Longevity Project", is loaded with tests to determine various aspects of personality. I took all the tests when I first read the book and did surprisingly well. I didn't keep a record of the tests so I couldn't tell you off hand what it was all about.