Not only many of us in Ashland, but our whole country are “getting up there.” I turned 100 this year, and find it amazing that I’m not only alive, but am vigorous, alert, and learning new stuff every day that helps keep the cerebral cobwebs away.

It’s no secret how to have a healthy lifestyle, but it may be hard to live one if your family lives otherwise. I was lucky. My mom was a devotee of Adelle Davis, a pioneer in good nutrition in the 1930s. My daughter didn’t meet a cookie until she was 2 years old.

Organic eating costs no more than what many/most families spend on beer, cigarettes, meat and drugs.

If you tend to be obese, I recommend Grant Petersen’s delightful book “Eat Bacon, Don’t Jog.” The body is smarter than the mind. If it tells you to do something, do it. If it wants you to rest, then rest. You’ll heal more quickly.

In closing, here’s a Tibetan prayer for living longer and well:

Eat half,

Walk double,

Laugh triple, and

Love without measure.

Carola Lacy

Ashland