What You Expect From Life vs Your Life Expectancy

“Diane Keaton died,” I told my husband as I looked up from my phone. “She was only 79.”

My husband scoffed. “Seventy-nine is a pretty good run.”

Although his dad and my mom died too young, our surviving parents made it to their mid-80s.

I obviously don’t know Diane Keaton, but her last movie came out in 2024, so she was still very active. It seemed (from the outside) she had so much more life to live.

I quickly googled the life expectancy for women and shared with my husband, “The life expectancy for women is 81.1.”

It got me looking at some stats on what contributes to a long life for women—and what leads to a shorter one.

It’s a rabbit hole.

I personally know two people who lived to 100. And for both of them, it was their goal. It’s mine too.

My “aunt” Marge (my grandmother’s best friend) always said her goal was to live to 100. She lived in a small beach house on Siesta Key and walked for miles on the sandy shores every day. She was sassy and outspoken—very different from my grandmother, and honestly, many of the women of her generation. She was fiercely independent and never married.

I called her on her hundredth birthday. “You did it, Marge!” I said as I wished her a happy 100th. She still lived at home, with a lot of support.

About a week later, she passed peacefully. She reached her goal and let go.

Then there was my friend’s dad, “Pops,” a commercial real estate developer who never talked about his age but had a goal to live to 100. Even into his 90s, he was full of curiosity, still interested in politics, always thinking up new business ideas, and staying positive.

He didn’t drink, loved broccoli, and put horseradish on everything. He lived to about 100 and a half.

My Uncle Lenny’s neighbor in Naples was in her mid 90s when my dad asked what kept her so healthy. She lived on her own, tended to a vegetable garden, and was outside getting fresh air every day. “I eat a lot of greens, like kale and chard and spinach,” she said.

I don’t know if she made it to 100, but I think she was close.

Are there “secrets” to living a long life? Well, I’m not sure any of these are a secret (except maybe the horseradish), but if you don’t believe your choices make a difference, then I think you’re fooling yourself.

The life we’re living now is just the echo of choices we made long ago.

But, even if we don’t feel like we did in our 20s, if we’ve made it this far and we’re really living our lives, we’ve lived much longer than our ancestors. (Life expectancy for women in 1900 was 48!)

My 62-year-old friend Molly just hiked the Dolomites in Italy. 10 Days. 10 miles a day. Another friend in her late 60s left me a message she was on her way to walk the 200+ mile Camino de Santiago.

Dang, we’re just getting started.

Maybe 60 is the new 40, as many baby boomers are saying.

Every day, we get the opportunity every day to keep increasing our odds with the choices we make.

So, based on my very anecdotal stories of two centenarians—and one woman in her mid-90s—here are a few not-so-secret tips for living a long life:

·      Have a goal. (Aim high!) :)

·      Eat a lot of greens. And horseradish, apparently.

·      Walk every day.

·      Stay curious.

·      Keep a positive attitude.

·      Be sassy.

·      Be strong. (In body and spirit.)

And maybe most importantly, keep showing up for your life through all if it and don’t slow down.

Maybe it’s just about really living whether we live to 100 or not.

Diane Keaton surely lived and although maybe cut short, she wasn’t slowing down…

“I never understood the idea that you're supposed to mellow as you get older. Slowing down isn't something I relate to at all. The goal is to continue in good and bad, all of it.” Diane Keaton

What are your secrets to aging? What lights you up and encourages you to continue making choices that make you feel happy and healthy?