349: The Wisdom of Old People with John Leland

The average life expectancy is nearly 83 years where I live. People are living healthier, wealthier, and longer lives than ever before, but what the heck do you do in that last third portion of your life? Golf or bingo? Yoga or CrossFit? It’s really hard to know what options we’ll have in our 80s, but it also seems pretty foolish not to plan for it now.

On this week’s show, you’ll meet a New York Times writer who extensively profiled six elders (over 85) in New York City. He’ll share what he learned about living and dying with us on the show.

Listen & Learn:

• The role of choice in happiness in later life
• Why isolation from a purpose can be just as painful as social isolation
• How pain and illness are less important than how people choose to interpret them in the context of their lives
• How “no regrets” is a common theme with age

Links & Resources:

• John’s Book on Amazon

ABOUT OUR GUEST
John Leland is a reporter at The New York Times, where he wrote a year-long series that became the basis for Happiness Is a Choice You Make. He is also the author of Hip: The History and Why Kerouac Matters: The Lessons of On the Road.

Before joining the Times, he was a senior editor at Newsweek, editor in chief of Details, a reporter at Newsday, and a writer and editor at Spin.

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

• Cooking Oils

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