A Long Life, Well-Lived

The older I get, the more I like to read the obituary section. This is not as morbid as it sounds. I'm genuinely interested in how people choose to use their time on earth. This is because I secretly believe I'll live to be 100, so I'm always looking for some good practical ideas on how to spend the next 70 years. I'm currently reading a charming book on the art of obituary writing, which includes gems like the following:

"Selma Koch, a Manhattan store owner who earned a national reputation by helping women find the right bra size, mostly through a discerning glance and never with a tape measure, died Thursday at Mount Sinai Medical Center. She was 95 and a 34B."

Anyhoo, the impetus for this post is actually someone who's still kickin', but will have an awesome obituary when he finally goes on to his eternal reward: Dr. Michael DeBakey. Widely regarded as the father of modern cardiovascular surgery, Dr. DeBakey will turn 97 in a few weeks, on the day after I turn 30. I first discovered him last year while reading a Wall Street Journal article on longevity. The highlights: He continues to work nearly 12 hours a day (and was still performing surgery in his early nineties). He only needs four or five hours of sleep a night. His one daily meal is a dinner salad that his wife prepares. He has deep personal connections to two places that have had a rough go of it lately---Lebanon and New Orleans---but he's still optimistic about life and the world.

'Scuse me while I kiss this guy. Whatta man, whatta man, what a mighty good man.