An 89 year old man just the other day told me that he shall live for another 11 years and go to be with his maker at 100 years of age. He challenged me to note this in my diary so that I could be a witness to this remarkable feat that a doctor (as he told me) guaranteed him shall happen at his last medical checkup a year ago!
Now this man has a very active lifestyle despite his failing eyesight and memory. He is proud that he has no serious physical ailments at this ripe old age despite a hip injury a while back that forced him to use a cane while walking. He is also proud to have lived to see his grandchildren and was recently made a great grandfather by one of them. He is still involved in commodity trading and purchases commodities on wholesale basis four times a month from importers in Mombasa which he sells to traders and other business men making a small profit in the process. His truck driver makes the long journey to Mombasa on his behalf in case you wonder how he does it!!
He is also actively involved in shares trading and has a healthy portfolio of investments in some of the best blue chip companies in Kenya. He told me that he is not motivated by huge profits but by the desire to stay active, sharp and focused though he wants to add fertilizer trading to the commodities that he trades in as it has better profit margins! I am sure his sons have tried to get him to relax but he seems to want none of that!!
He has endured a chequered life and business career spanning the past 70 years and has seen and done it all. His day commences at 7.00 am with a cup of tea with three……yes three heaped spoons of sugar (no heightened blood sugar levels for this guy I tell you). He then goes to visit his clients to collect what they owe him as well as to sell them his commodities. I bet few people will tell an 89 year old man that they can’t pay him his money so I guess this is a good strategy on his part. Once done with his rounds he goes back home by 1.00 pm, has his lunch and rests. He was very categorical that he does not sleep but rests until 4.00 pm after which he watches television until dinner time and sleeps thereafter.
He also very often accompanies his son and daughter in law, whom he lives with, to social functions at the Club and other places where they have been invited something that I have been witness to at some of the bank functions that we have organized. They leaves early though on his account no doubt!
A few years back he was attacked by robbers who wanted to shoot him dead for God knows what reason. He prayed to God that they would spare him and they instead shot at one of the security guards responding to the alarm and then they ran off. Who would be so callous as to shoot an 80 something mzee and again I guess his age was his good fortune!
What I have learnt from this remarkable mzee is that positive thinking, a healthy life style and frequent medical checkups are vital to longevity as is continual activity in something you enjoy doing as in his case commodity and shares trading. There is also nothing wrong with sugar so long as your body can handle it or so he seemed to suggest.
I shall be around when the whistle blows for this mzee in 11 years’ time for I too plan on being around for a long time till the ripe old age of 100. At his age few people will want to embarrass themselves by refusing to pay you or shooting you dead so there is a positive side to age as well!!
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