Cart is emptyWe may live longer than we did 100 years ago, but there are new limitations and challenges that earlier generations did not face. The Stoic philosophers will often be quoted in this book, they had a view of life that applies just as much today as in their time.
Our life is what our thoughts make it. Do every act of your life as if it were your last. In a word, your life is short. You must make the most of the present with the aid of reason and justice. Since it is possible that you may be quitting life at this very moment, govern every act and thought accordingly.
– Marcus Aurelius – Emperor of Rome, 121 CE -180 CE
In all the years before my Diabetes diagnosis, there were no diseases, no broken bones, nothing done to excess, exercise and exertion, activities such as diving were all done within normal bounds. The time had been happy in the 20 years or so before diagnosis, but there had been constant underlying stress to my life due to all the things I was committing my time and energy to.
Life was lived with goals and interests, objectives and what had to be done to realize them.
This led me to how I thought about my life. Yes, every year I was a year older but my ability to commit to and work at the things I was interested in remained unchanged. Of course, I was aware that the point in my life where “there are fewer years ahead than behind,” had been passed, but still, there were interesting things to experience and do. Just keep going.
The bad news is that a 55-year-old Type 2 Diabetic who does not manage their condition well and makes no lifestyle changes may have as little as 13.2 years left to live.
The good news is that if the same person manages their condition well and makes the life changes required, life expectancy can be 21.1 years. In Canada, that is only a little down from the projected 23.3 years.
Diabetes also affects the aging process. How our bodies change naturally as we age is accelerated by Diabetes.
I hope you enjoy and find this book useful in understanding aging as well as the changes.
Diabetes adds to the whole process.
