Smiles at 85

I have to say, I’m surprised to still be here. As a child I wondered if I would live to turn 60 in the year 2000. Later, as a testosterone-sodden male in my late teens, I preferred the notion of dying with drama in a fast car, following in the tire tracks of James Dean.

But here I am, 85. Healthy. Likely to persist. Perhaps 10 years. Maybe longer, if the actuarial questionnaire at Healthy Life Expectancy Calculator at the Goldenson Center for Actuarial Research at the University of Connecticut is any indication.

What got me here? It wasn’t my family history. My mother died at 57. Her mother died very young, of tuberculosis. A very Irish story. My father died at 43, a homicide or an accident in North Hollywood as I entered college. The only hint of longevity in my scruffy family tree is an obituary headline for my paternal great grandfather, Thomas Burns. “Nonagenarian Succumbs” it reads, just below a photo of a smiling, thin man holding a violin.

Born in Scotland and destined to become a photographer, he likely couldn’t attribute his longevity to a childhood diet of haggis or anything else on the Scottish menu.

So luck. Pure luck. We love to talk about intentions, plans and action. But you really can’t spend many years on this planet without realizing the truth in, “Man plans, God laughs” — an old Yiddish saying.

More comes from chance than from planning and intention. So much more. Failure to recognize this is just plain arrogant. The failure also shrinks our opportunity to feel genuine gratitude.

Thankfully, utter devotion to a plan isn’t necessary. Neither is perfection. This should give all of us a flutter of hope.

Many readers will shake their heads, skeptical of my claim.

But it appears to be true. I offer my continued existence as an example. This could involve a lot of dreary detail, down to my dental history. But I will spare you. Let’s just say that I was not a model of longevity-fostering behavior for the last 85 years. I simply matured slowly, in the manner of many men, and drank less, stopped smoking at 30 and started to lose the “dadbod” in my mid-60s.

Nothing heroic. Pretty indicative of being a slow learner.

So, dear reader, if you’re 50, 55, or 60 and have become discouraged please take heart. Take a few steps. Start moving. Do it every day. Eat a bit less. Be a tad more watchful. Become aware of your habits.

Do that, just that, and you’ll have a good chance at living a longer and healthier life.

I’d say let’s drink to that, but let’s just say we raised a glass.

Related columns:

Columns on longevity here: https://scottburns.com/category/life-expectancy/

Age 84: Scott Burns, “Learning how to retire,” 11/17/2024: https://scottburns.com/learning-how-to-retire/

Age 84: Scott Burns, “Retirement 2.0: Another Life,” 10/10/24: https://scottburns.com/retirement-2-0-another-life/

Age 80: Scott Burns, “Beginning My Second Life,” 11/8/2020: https://scottburns.com/beginning-my-second-life/

Age 75: Scott Burns, “Why It’s A Good Thing To Live Beyond Age 75,” 11/8/2015: https://scottburns.com/why-its-a-good-thing-to-live-beyond-age-75/

Age 70: Scott Burns, “The Amazing Half-Full Glass,” 11/7/2010: https://scottburns.com/the-amazing-half-full-glass/

Age 68: Scott Burns, “A Meditation on McDonald’s,” 2/22/2009: https://scottburns.com/a-meditation-on-mcdonalds/

Age 65: Scott Burns, “The Future of Old,” 11/6/2005: https://scottburns.com/the-future-of-old/

Sources and References:

Healthy Life Expectancy Calculator at the Goldenson Center for Actuarial Research at the University of Connecticut: https://apps.goldensoncenter.uconn.edu/HLEC/

This information is distributed for education purposes, and it is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, recommendation, or endorsement of any particular security, product, or service.

Photo:  Scott Burns, 6/10/2024, raising a glass with my brother Doug Blasius, after another day of walking the Camino de Santiago.

(c) Scott Burns, 2025