How does one approach life at an older age?
Maybe purposeful work is the true fountain of youth, at any age?
From his autobiography Joys and Sorrows, Spanish Catalan cellist and conductor Pablo Casals (December 29, 1876-October 22, 1973) believes that “the man who works and is never bored is never old.”
Here, Casals talks of an orchestra composed of musicians older than a hundred where he considers it the spring of their vitality:
“In spite of their age, those musicians have not lost their zest for life. How does one explain this? I do not think the answer lies simply in their physical constitutions or in something unique about the climate in which they live. It has to do with their attitude toward life; and I believe that their ability to work is due in no small measure to the fact that they do work. Work helps prevent one from getting old. I, for one, cannot dream of retiring. Not now or ever. Retire? The word is alien and the idea inconceivable to me. I don’t believe in retirement for anyone in my type of work, not while the spirit remains. My work is my life. I cannot think of one without the other. To “retire” means to me to begin to die. The man who works and is never bored is never old. Work and interest in worthwhile things are the best remedy for age. Each day I am reborn. Each day I must begin again.“
Casals describes his daily practice is. mindful ritual:
“I go to the piano, and I play two preludes and fugues of Bach. It is a rediscovery of the world of which I have the joy of being a part. It fills me with awareness of the wonder of life, with a feeling of the incredible marvel of being a human being. The music is never the same for me, never. Each day is something new, fantastic, unbelievable. That is Bach, like nature, a miracle!“
You have a gift; do not waste it.
Work — work constantly and nourish it.
Photo by Samantha Beaty on Unsplash