Today I met an 80-year-old man in a barbershop. We got talking about age… (Dear Ladies: Us men don’t mind talking about age ha-ha)
He took out his driver’s license and said “Look at my date of birth son, I’m actually 80 years old, that driver’s license – I got it in 1970!
Where were you by then?
I laughed upon realizing that must have been the year my mum and dad were still falling in love.
“What’s the Secret to Long Life?”
I asked the 80 Year Old Man
He gave me four things…
1. Your Lifestyle is a Secret to Long Life
He said “There is no secret to a long life, it’s just lifestyle”
And a light bulb went on in my mind, Lifestyle is the secret to long life. It is so simple that the old man denies it’s a secret.
Studies show that men die earlier than women. And it’s mainly because of lifestyle…
Men drink more than women
Men drive faster and collect more speeding tickets than women
Men visit the doctor less than women
In a car, Men use the seat belt less than women
Men sleep around with many partners more than women
More men smoke than women
Just look at the differences in our lifestyles and it will be no longer a secret why men die younger than women.
But the old man was just getting started…
2. Your Diet is also a Secret to Long Life
“While growing up, we ate lots of wild fruits that grew indigenously. From matamba (trifoliate oranges) to nhunguru, etc (Those are names of some African Indigenous fruits).
“We only ate meat and sugar on Christmas days. Only children whose parents worked in the mines were paid well enough to afford sugar every day.”
I’m not a fan of being broke – but sometimes being broke can be a blessing till you have enough wisdom to not let plenty mess you up.
Plenty is messing us up.
May we be wise enough to lay a humble table no matter how rich our wallets get.
Take lots of fruits and vegetables. Studies show that, on average, people who eat lots of fruits and greens live longer than everybody else. Eating everything you love is good for you only if everything you love is good for you.
Maybe you are saying, “But I don’t like greens” – well… like them. 🙂
3. Walking is also a Secret to a Long Life
The old man continued, “We used to walk everywhere we went, no matter how far. Our school was 12 kilometers away. And the closest bus stop was further than the school.”
Ha-ha, I wouldn’t want that and neither would you. I only liked the fact that they walked a lot.
We need exercise and gym because our lives have become too comfortable.
The body was never meant to stay idle. The rest of the body is like body muscles in that it’s strengthed by being used.
Studies show that an average person needs between 8,500 to 12,000 footsteps per day to stay healthy.
This reminds me of this other doctor at Midlands State University, while other lecturers drove to work, he bought himself a beautiful bicycle and opted to cycle to work.
Don’t always drive everywhere, sometimes step off the car and walk. I know you bought that sports car for status – but your health status matters more than showing off your economic status.
4. Then the Hairstyle…
The barber finished my haircut. All the guys in the shop loved it (Over the years I’ve designed my hairstyle that uniquely suits me). I thought the old man would say “Wow” but I was wrong.
The old man pointed at my head and said,
“You see the other thing that will get you killed?” He was still pointing at my haircut, “It’s that hairstyle of yours. So you expect all those girls out there not to flock on you!!”
The whole barbershop roared with laughter. We all knew what he meant,
“Find one woman son, and marry that woman. Sleeping around is killing the young men of this generation. That condom thing is not safe, abstinence and sticking to your wife will give you a long life.”
So he didn’t really mean the hairstyle kills. It’s good to look good.
He was saying beware, sometimes beauty is a curse. It can attract people to you who can end up ruining your life.
No wonder the most heartbroken girls are the prettiest, they fall prey to bad guys before they are wise enough to tell the difference between the good and the bad.
No wonder there are so many pretty girls I saw drop out of school early. Probably due to early pregnancy.
Well… it’s called the ugly side of beauty.
So take care of yourself, because nobody has that job more than you do.
I just gave you a few things so that it would be easy for you. But if you still have no idea where to start…
Start with your hairstyle… 🙂
NB: Now that you understand my title, share this to puzzle up your friends too! Help spread wisdom. Cheers!
NBB: Remember to comment below, I love hearing from you!
I loved this. It’s true that wisdom is found in the most random and unexpected of places.
Wisdom cries out in the street, we need to be attentive to it’s teaching
LoL who would have thought that hairstyle can be a bad thing for you. Lesson learnt .
😂 I was also shocked too