Living at a 2% grade

Every time I read a book or article written by or about someone who lived beyond the average life expectancy, and lived it well, with little health concerns or troubles at least until the end, I am reminded that they lived life like it really was the marathon we all hear about. I think to myself, “We must only have so many breaths or heartbeats. We must have only so many waking hours. Those who have lived so long took things slow it seems. They must have had such an easy life.” But this doesn’t seem to be the reality totally.

Those I have read about or gotten to know did have times of great sorrow, great stress, great excitement, great loss. They had times of need and times of plenty. They suffered from hunger and loss of sleep. They may have been sedentary by our standards, and may have spent time smoking too much, again, according to our current standards. A lot of them had jobs, occupations, careers that didn’t make much money or fame. Only a handful could say they were rich by our current standards, or famous, but all that seemed to mostly come near the end as well. Some had children and some didn’t. Some had one spouse or partner, some more than one, some none. A lot had a lot of hobbies and interests through out life.

In The Book of Charlie, by David Von Drehle, Charlie is a physician who trained prior to medical specialties, prior to health insurance, prior to antibiotics, prior to medical malpractice, and prior to our commercialization of medicine and healthcare in general. He was trained to give great bedside manner because there was not much the doctor could do but to sit at the bedside, comfort, and hope, with the family, for the best most of the time. He then entered, with many men then, WWI, came out with a deeper understanding of antibiotics and anesthesia, set up in Kansas City as an anesthesiologist, and helped create the first perfusion machine for the first open heart surgeries. Prior to all this, he had childhood with experiences that would cause most these days to seek mental health care, trauma informed care, suffer the rest of life because of the trauma, or be one of many homeless unable to integrate into society our way. But, as you have just also read, Charlie didn’t end up homeless, without a successful education and career, or the inability to work within societies boundaries. He flourished. His resilience, capacity to push himself to achieve, and take the time to do so, helped him also achieve the age of 109 when he died. He also had great health, vitality, and relationships as candidly written by the author about their first meeting. Charlie was caught one Sunday morning washing his girlfriend’s car in his driveway in his boxers at the age of 101.

Barbara Winton, daughter of Sir Nicholas Winton, wrote his biography, One Life, about his pre-WWII work helping hundreds of Jewish children escape the Nazis as part of the Kindertransport, his WWII life, husband and father life, and retirement life serving in many capacities as a volunteer before dying at 106. Like Charlie, Nicky had a war experience he evolved from, one that shaped him and his future towards service, innovation, resilience, and a deep gratitude for the hand he was dealt. Nicky experienced the death of a child, but this didn’t take over his life and drive his entire being into sorrow. He put himself into service in the memory of his child like many people do today when they lose someone that important to their being. This built resilience, connection with others, a gift of life after loss, a memory grown rather than faded. Nicky and his family also didn’t aspire to great things, great things found them as they settled for the simple. They lived the lives that subconsciously took the position that everything else would follow the “Under promise and over deliver” philosophy.

I write all of this to say that, when I read or hear about these kinds of people, I feel that, whatever they did or whatever life experiences they were given, their path was at a 2% grade. At times, it was steeper, things were stressful, happened fast, had negative consequences, and led to exhaustion quickly. At other times it was definitely downhill, but not the downhill we normally think. Downhill, as in easy and still covering ground. A time to catch the breath, recuperate, find the gratitude and hope, before getting back to the 2% grade. The 2% grade is easy to feel slightly challenged for a long time, knowing personal limitations but not going soft. Climbing into those limitations and meeting them to keep life going and make the steeper climbs less exhausting and less stressful.

None of the people who make it to those ripe ages, 90s and 100s, with overall good health and mind, had a clue what the future had for them. None of them sat around covering ground on the downhill for years and years. None of them made life a steep climb for years either looking for stress that would, maybe, get them farther faster, richer and wiser before time runs out. They walked the 2% grade trail letting it meander them this way and that, not taking the scenery for granted, but being grateful for the elements sensed, other beings along the way, and opportunities to catch for fulfillment. There are many trails to walk, but they walked the one they were set on, letting it lead them to one life event after another, some steeper than others, but all with a little downhill for recovery.

I have an Uncle Garland who died at the age of 92. Before that, he helped farm the families acres while the other lads of his family went to WWII. He farmed his entire life a modest few hundred acres, and only went to cash rent the last few years. He had a sawmill out at the “Out North” farm, built an A-frame himself there, and spent hours every day piddling around when there wasn’t anything else to do. He married late in life and had no kids. His wife and him traveled all over the world and were the first people I ever knew who had gone so far as China on a vacation. He saw the death of many family members and his wife. He lived life going forward at 2% grade knowing his limitations but pushing himself to that and a bit beyond, not making the walk of life too hard, because you have to use the days you have.

It can be so hard these times to not feel like we are always climbing a steep incline. Some of these times are self induced, and mine sure are, or have been. I have not given myself time on the downhill to breath as I have always seemed to try and fill my time and spend my energy looking for the next part of the trail that will get my heart pumping, muscles sore, and make me feel like I did something worthwhile. But I should be taking the downhills offered more as space and opportunities to let the trail tell me what is next, and enjoy the other beings and surroundings that I encounter. I feel like my life thus far as been one going at 15% grade most of the time. I might have only lived half my life so far, I hope I have more than half left. I should remind myself of what I have accomplished in the last 45 years, and that another 45 would be great, but only if it is spent at the 2% grade.