I Was So Much Older Then; I'm Younger Than That Now

Just over a week ago, I turned 31. During my birthday celebration, I was reminded by my family that one year ago I didn't like the idea of turning 30. I had forgotten about that, but I was indeed terrified of the idea of getting older. I didn't want wrinkles; I didn't want to lose my hair; I didn't want to show any of the physical signs of aging. Then something happened to me in the last year. I realized, through my quest to live a natural and green life, that letting go of fear and embracing your age can be the most liberating thing one can do.

Despite what some have told me, my hair is thinning and has been for a few years. It's deceiving to most people because my hairline is not receding and the hair I have is very thick. However, the hair on my crown is sparse and getting thinner. Just as I was reminded of on my most recent birthday, there was a time when this consumed me. I used Rogaine and I even considered taking Propecia. I didn't want to look old, and bald usually equals old. Then, one day, I was in the store with my wife, and I had a bottle of Rogaine in my hand ready for purchase. Something stopped me. I started thinking to myself, "Why am I doing this? This goes against what I believe and the lifestyle I'm trying to cultivate. For one, I'm contributing money to the very drug companies that I believe are overmedicating our children and our entire society. Secondly, I'm putting a synthetic substance on my body. And, finally, who am I trying to impress? I have a beautiful family that loves me for the person I am -- not what I look like." So I put the bottle back, and I've never felt so free.

Now, I'm reading a great book that confirms I did the right thing, and that the key to aging gracefully is accepting and embracing the process. The book is Healthy Aging by Dr. Andrew Weil, and I highly recommend it. Weil points out that aging is inevitable and, thus, our goal should not be to reverse the physical appearance of aging but to age gracefully and healthfully so that we can enjoy vitality and mental clarity well into our older years and then decline rapidly over the last year or so of life. He covers many ways to achieve such a goal, but the first step is accepting aging as a natural and, more importantly, positive process. Think of wine, cheese, whiskey, trees and violins. They all get better with age. We, too, have that ability to become great and wise people as we age if we aren't obsessed with the way we look.

One thing I want to note is that, in saying all of this, I don't mean to imply that exercise and physical care are not important. They are important and they are some of the answers to staving off the debilitating diseases that can cause long and painful declines, be expensive and sap the quality of later years. The point is to understand that you can look old and healthy. Try to erase from your mind the media's picture of youth equaling health. It will set you free, and you'll feel younger.

What the Fuchs?

It's my toothbrush, that's what. Yep, I have a replaceable head toothbrush made by Fuchs. It's described as ecologically correct, and I hate to be wrong so I picked one up a few months ago. So far, I'm loving it. A package of four replacement heads is only $5.45, which equates to getting a new toothbrush for about $1.36 each. Not a bad deal for a very serviceable hygienic device. Plus, in keeping the same handle and just throwing out the head every 4-6 weeks (per dentist recommendation), I'm reducing my contribution to our landfills. Fresh breath and reduced waste are right up there on my priority list--it feels good to combine them. I definitely recommend picking one up next time you're at the store. Sometimes, you've just got to say, "what the Fuchs."

Don't Drive Guilty

My conscience has been nagging me lately about my driving. I live about 10 miles from my office and about 20 from my son's school, and busses don't run anywhere near my house. That adds up to a lot of driving and a lot of CO2 and particulate matter released into the atmosphere. It's also contributing to the country's dependence on foreign oil and, on a selfish note, doing a stellar job of depleting my bank account. So what finally happened is I broke down and bought a 2002 Toyota Prius, but before I did that, I discovered the wonderful TerraPass.

As I've said before in this space, it's unreasonable to think that everyone can go out and buy a hybrid or, beter yet, take non-combustible means of transportation everywhere they go--there are too many outside factors like families, the price of centrally located homes, the lack of public transportation, etc. that leave people in situations where they have to rely on their cars. Now, however, there is something simple everyone can do to counteract some of the harmful effects of driving--get a TerraPass. All you do is go to the site, calculate your car's emissions for the year, and pay between $29.95-$79.95, depending on your particular vehicle and driving habits. That money then goes to fund clean energy projects that reduce industrial carbon dioxide emissions. So in effect, you're paying to keep things stable--you're still driving and emitting CO2, but you're also helping reduce that same amount of CO2. Plus, you get a cool static cling decal and a bumper sticker to tell people how you're taking responsibility for global warming and doing your part to stop it--let's face it, as humans, we want people to know when we do something positive. So, even though I now have a hybrid, I'm still emitting 4,832 pounds of CO2 per year, and I'm getting a TerraPass to make up for that. Oh, and you can buy them for people as gifts, too. On an unrelated note, my birthday is in two days.