Today’s Irish Independent newspaper features a front page article entitled “Top Ways to Cheat Time”...

Here are the suggestions:

1) Lift weights.

2) Don’t diet — this will age you as the body turns to burning muscle to replace the energy you’re no longer getting from food.

3) Don’t smoke, reduce your coffee and alcohol and don’t eat empty processed foods.

4) Get lots of sunlight.

5) Avoid toxic environments and chemicals.

My favorite is number 2, the one about not dieting. That’s especially handy right before the all time best American holiday, Thanksgiving, my favorite. Face it, Thanksgiving is too cool. It’s all about being grateful. It’s the family get together. It’s dinner. It’s non-sectarian. If you don’t look too deeply, it’s truly the perfect holiday.

On the other hand, there’s the subject of living a long and happy life. I recently read a great book and hand wrote a letter to the author. He’d written about 17 other great books and is now about 70. I was pleasantly surprised to get a prompt reply by postal mail. Among other things, he said he planned on “going out quietly”, which shook me to the core. Here we have a great writer who I admire and enjoy telling me that he’s done. Hunter Thompson, perhaps, had the same idea. But, I have other friends the same age who are busy making their 20 year plans. I’ve thought about this a lot. I’m beginning to grasp the transience of this life. Jeez, it goes so fast. All I can conclude is that you gotta try to cheat time and have a good, mindful time … at the same time!