Lessons at 39

Gigantic sweet potato @Belmont Forum

A simple day is so good. It means I have plenty of time and space to enjoy what I like to do. What a luxury to be able to sit down and write a blog in my birthday. I have time, space, capability and energy.
I have been living in Perth for 3 years now. I know it will still take a while to establish my life here. However, I am grateful to live a sustainable life and move forward gradually. Here are my lessons at 39.

1. Be a student
I have a huge study commitment this year but studying in a wet lab is unexpected. I need to identify joints and muscles in a cadaver. I have so many questions that never come to my mind before. What kind of personalities of the person is willing to donate their bodies for learning and teaching? How does the school find the right person to cut a cadaver so precisely? I really thanked the bodies to offer me a chance to learn human anatomy. Being a student, I stretch my mind and feel alive. When I learn something new, I can share new ideas with people instead of talking about things in the past. When I learn something new, I can see things in different perspectives and it helps me agree to disagree. Of course, taking a new fitness class has the same benefits. I don't need to be so serious all the time. 

2. Be a hunter-gatherer
I really enjoy eating simple and less. I like the feelings of not too full and also there is some rationale behind. When I eat a lot, the blood will be sent to the digestive system instead of other parts of the body. I will feel tired and lack of energy. I like Michael Pollen’s food documentaries. It’s so educational and inspiring. He said, ‘Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food’. He mentioned history tells politicians that raw materials’ price has to be low. If people can’t even afford to buy a loaf of bread, revolution will be coming. Food manufacturers take advantages of low-cost raw materials. There are thousands of choices in supermarkets but only the quiet food is good food, e.g. fresh fruit and veggies. Processed food with advertising message like 99% reduced fat doesn’t tell you how much sugar in it. As I eat so light and plain, I feel a bit unwell and stop before my body is really sick.
 
3. Be ready to live till 100
Nobody knows when it's time to go but I do think I need to get well prepared to live till 100. The advanced medical system doesn’t allow me to die. If anything goes wrong, it seems surgeon will cut part of my bodies, liver, stomach or intestine to save my life. I may not have a good quality of life but I can’t die. In this case, I’d better keep myself well. I only have one liver, one stomach and one intestine in lifetime.
It doesn’t matter how long actually I am going to live. When I expect to have a long life instead of worrying about death, I feel I still have opportunities and possibilities in life and that’s very important to set up my mind. My yoga teacher reaches 80 and she is still teaching yoga. I want to be like her.  
 
Thank you very much for all your birthday wishes. I am loved and touched. 

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