At 89: 'Do I wake up every morning thinking I'm one day closer to meeting my maker? No.'

By John M. Angelini

"Do I wake up every morning thinking I'm one day closer to meeting my maker? No."

I'm a statistic. I will live to be 94, one study says. My demise is five years away! When I consider my 89 years, it's filled with success, joy, hope and life. It's also marked by failure, sorrow, despair and death. But through it all I walk with an endless line of friends and loving family members.

At this age, I might ask myself, "What else is there?" Do I wake up every morning thinking I'm one day closer to meeting my maker? No. I look ahead to celebrate what lies ahead and to validate what came before.

Having known the pangs of hunger during the Great Depression, I continue to help feed the less fortunate children of the here and now, delivering a carton of food twice a month to the local chapter of the Salvation Army.

I make sincere efforts to be civil to all strangers and tolerant of the uncivil. The physically handicapped shall always be greeted with a smile. Those addicted to smoking shall not be scorned but treated with sympathy - it took me 65 years and a triple bypass to give it up myself.

As a former art director and an active and involved professional artist for most of my adult life, I have sold countless works worldwide. Because I have a plethora of unframed watercolors and drawings in my studio, I share some with friends and family members on special occasions. Selling one's art is wonderful, but so is sharing one's self. Art hidden from view defeats its purpose.

When feasible, a financial contribution gives some hope to victims of natural and man-made disasters. A small measure of giving fulfills the human need to assist the unfortunate, both our own and people from other parts of the world.

And indeed I continue to pay tribute to the medical profession. I see clearly because of lens transplants. With dentures, I eat with ease, even corn on the cob. My heart beats strongly thanks to cardiac specialists and surgeons who saved my life twice and keep close watch on me, so that I may continue to be well and productive. And there is gratitude to the young doctor who diagnosed my lupus, which had remained hidden for 25 days in the hospital, many years ago.

So I have a plan to give my so-called remaining five years of life some meaning. Is it reasonable to accept a medical study that dares to tell me how long I will live? No. I have plans. Heck, last month I returned from a wonderful trip to Switzerland and Italy, visiting friends and family. And next year's trips are in the planning stage.

At my age every day is a gift as I take pleasure in a range of activities starting with solving crossword puzzles, the Jumble, Cryptoquote and the elusive and demanding Sudoku. Then I prepare a "to do" list for the day since I'm told that keeping busy contributes to longevity. My activities include painting watercolors, graphite drawing and, of course, writing, and the inevitable household tasks. My wife, Liz, and I take an occasional coffee break to sit in my studio looking out the window to observe butterflies invading the flowers planted for that purpose. At times we are visited by a hummingbird.

We lunch out once in a while. I especially love sandwiches. Having friends over for dinner is always a fun time, too.

As certified Pasco County master gardeners for 11 years, my wife and I attend monthly meetings and meet our volunteer requirements wherever needed in the community.

After long trips, I spend weeks assembling an album, combining photographs, literature, maps, tickets and copies of pen sketches completed during the trip. The photographs also provide reference material for my watercolors.

And at 100, I intend to celebrate my 50th wedding anniversary with Liz, whose love and devotion above all make my longevity possible. I want to continue spending as much time as possible with the wonderful people who are my family, as well as my dear friends.

Mark Twain said:

"Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry."