Centenarian Billy Earley  Refused to Let Anything be a Problem

You may have been wondering if there were any women Centenarians. Yes, there certainly were and are. Billy Earley is mentioned throughout the wonderful book by Lynn Adler, Centenarians: The Bonus Years. As I have studied the references to her life, I note that this lady lived every one of the seven secrets I had found for a long and strong life.

Billy Earley did not feel old even at 105 when she was interviewed by Lynn Adler. She didn’t think of herself as old. When she thought of herself, she said, she does not feel old. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt like fifty.” Adds Billy, “To my mind, I’m sometimes thirty, fifty, or sixty. On bad days, I may feel like seventy, but whatever, I do not feel 100 years plus.”As we remember that the Spirit man is the real us, we realize that the spirit man does not grow old. The spirit and soul will live forever. Only the body wears out.

At 105, Billy’s mind was still as sharp as a tack. She is a wonderful example of the research findings that loss of mental acuity is not inevitable as we age. She loved to travel and to exerciser physically (on her stationary bike) and mentally.She advises us to never take our mental health for granted. Never assume we will keep that health or lose it as we grow old. We have a part to play. We lose our strong mental health  because of toxic thoughts and toxic foods, which grow toxic trees in our brains. These toxic trees lead to disease and decline of mental and physical health, says Dr. Caroline Leaf (a world leading neuroscientist).

Research now has proven that the brain’s incredible plasticity remains throughout our life. Our brain can always change. We control our thoughts. We control our brain.

Another great tip, we can learn from Billy Earley is about creating  an organized environment. Create a memory place. This is a designated place for important, often used articles. This will dramatically reduce your memory load.

Have you thought about how you might keep your mental and physical health strong as you age?  I challenge you to continually stimulate and exercise your mind. I would love to know your thoughts and ideas on how you do this or plan to do this.