Whether you’re a fanatic football fan, or like me, you watch for the commercials, you probably saw a month’s worth of ads on Super Bowl Sunday. Some were dramatic, some were over-the-top, some were funny, and some missed the mark completely – we’re looking at you, Nationwide! – but hands-down, the most inspiring was Dodge’s ‘Wisdom’ ad. America’s fascination with centenarians is hardly new, but the 60-second ad showed a group of people whose first century just seems to have made them cooler and not a whit less bad-ass.
In case you missed it, the one-minute long commercial featured 11 centenarians with attitude and their words of wisdom, starting with truisms such as “Live for now,” “Because life is good, you make it good,” “You learn not to cheat,” “Learn from your mistakes,” “There are miracles all around you,” “Stay young, ” and “Always tell the truth.” Then, the maxims become more defiant and brash, as an engine snarls in the background. “Keep your eyes open…and sometimes your mouth shut,” “Don’t complain,” “Tell it like it is,” “Don’t b$tch,” and “Hesitate and you lose.” Finally, delivered with panache, “Put your pedal to the medal,” “Live fast,” and “And never, ever, forget where you came from.” The final shot is worthy of the Fast and Furious franchise, but instead of Vin Diesel, Fred J. Wild, born in 1914, glares out the driver’s side window of a Dodge Challenger, flips a ‘rock on’ salute and drives off in slo-mo cloud of dust. These inspiring super-seniors undoubtedly made some great-grandchildren look at their elders differently! If you were taking a snack break, or were watching the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet instead, you can see the Dodge ‘Wisdom’ ad on YouTube.
America’s fascination with centenarians is nothing new, and lately we want to know how they eat, how they play, how they see the world, and how the heck they lived so long! We want to know what they’re thinking because we’re sure they hold the secret to longevity. Here are just a few of the gems that one recent national survey of centenarians produced on marriage, finance, happiness and long life:
• Spending time with family brings health and happiness
• Once married, stick it out. Saying ‘I love you’ often is the secret
• Spend less, and save more. Start today. (You’ll live longer than you think!)
• Stay fit, and be active. Otherwise, there’s no magic bullet.
This past summer, The Huffington Post collected “The Secrets to Living A Long Life” from 30 centenarians, and in the same month, BuzzFeed visited Loma Linda, CA, where people live six to seven years longer than anywhere else in the U.S., to collect wisdom from its oldest citizens. It’s easy to see why we think centenarians know some secret truths that the rest us of don’t: they’re not afraid to share their thoughts and they get right to the point! Their advice, and the best efforts of medical science, so far point more to lifestyle than genetics as the reason for long life. As your loved one approaches the century mark, the help of a homecare companion can be crucial to maintaining a healthy ‘longevity’ lifestyle.
