A 95-year-old lighthouse keeper shares his keys to a long, happy life |
For over a decade, Buddy Grover, 95, has served as a volunteer lighthouse keeper at Absecon Lighthouse in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Although he doesn't get paid, the gig keeps him busy and active, and allows him to meet new people. Those are all practices that have been linked to longevity. He cites a few other factors for his good health, too. "I accredit a lot of this to the genes," he says. "All of the women on my mother's side were well into their 90s. And my father, who was born in 1898, lived to be 80, which was very good for that generation." Grover prioritizes these four practices each day: - Knee-to-chest exercises in the morning
- Interacting socially with loved ones and strangers
- Completing Sudoku and crossword puzzles
- Reading often, and at his own pace
His happy-go-lucky attitude has also kept him going: "I've always had a positive outlook on life. If there were any unpleasantries, I've forgotten them," Grover says. ″[I'm] living from day to day and looking forward to what tomorrow is going to hold. There's always something worthwhile." |
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We tried it: Using a clothing subscription to save money |
It's dramatic and probably insensitive to say I have a shopping addiction, so let's call it what it is: I overspend on clothing. The habit didn't really harm my finances until I moved from Chicago to New York last year and my monthly rent increased by $1,500. Balancing my vanity with an awareness that I needed to budget more effectively, I started renting clothes from Nuuly, a sister company to Urban Outfitters. For four-and-a-half months, I paid $88 to rent six pieces of clothing per month. It didn't curb my shopping habits as much as I predicted. Last year, during a three-month period, I spent $926 on 13 items of clothing. Using Nuuly, I rented 18 clothing items for only $264 over a similar three-month period. It didn't go exactly as planned, mostly because I got a promotion at work and went on a 10-item shopping spree. In total, I spent $765 in three months — still less than last year, but more than I'd intended. This puts, on average, an extra $53 in my pocket each month. So far, my extra cash has gone toward home decor. Since starting my renting journey, though, Nuuly has raised the monthly subscription cost by $10. Even with the price hike, the service is worth it for me. I need fewer clothes in my closet and, when I do buy, I want to invest in durable clothing that'll last me years. —Megan Sauer, success reporter |
How to Talk to People: This Bob Dylan-inspired phrase makes hard conversations easier |
If you're a folk music aficionado, you might be familiar with this line: "Speaking strictly for me, we both could have died then and there." It's from singer-songwriter Joan Baez's 1975 song "Diamonds and Rust," widely thought to be inspired by Baez's relationship with Bob Dylan. And it holds the key to making difficult conversations easier, according to bestselling author Susan Cain, who wrote the book "Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole." The line's most rhetorically useful aspect comes from its first four words, Cain said: "Speaking strictly for me." That simple phrase does several key things at once, she says. For starters, it is an "I" statement, not a "you" statement. Generally, "I" statements are seen as soliciting more positive responses than "you" statements, which can seem accusatory. It provides the person you're talking to with an example of how you'd like them to hold space for your opinion, as you've done for them. Finally, the phrase can help in conversations where both people are at least partially "right." By making your side of the argument clear by saying "speaking strictly for me," you can acknowledge that gray area. |
Speed Read: People who live longest share 2 traits |
"Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life," by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles, highlights the similar or overlapping practices of people who live in "blue zones," areas with some of the longest-lived people in the world. Those include places as disparate as Italy and Japan. Most people at or near the age of 100 have similar personality traits that may have helped increase their lifespan, according to a 2012 study cited in the book. These are the two traits that people who live the longest seem to have in common, according to García and Miralles: 1. A good attitude Most centenarians in the longevity study had positive attitudes. They could typically be described as optimistic, easygoing and extroverted. 2. A high degree of emotional awareness Centenarians, according to the study, generally don't bottle up their emotions. Instead, they make an effort to communicate how they feel to those around them. "In other words, those who face challenges with a positive outlook and are able to manage their emotions are already well on their way toward longevity," wrote García and Miralles. |
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