How an encounter with the TSA got Bob Held thinking about aging successfully

By Bob Held, Aging with Gusto facilitator
I no longer am required to remove my shoes to go through airport security. Because I’m
75 years old. The TSA agent seems doubtful. I show him my ID. In a flattering, yet
sincerely friendly way, he called me young man, explaining that he can do that because
he’s 78. A delightful conversation ensues.

He tells me the secret of successful aging: be curious and have adventures.
Beautiful advice I thought, especially as I was starting an adventure, a tour of national
parks in the southwest.

Upon reflection I realized that the typical advice does not mention curiosity and
adventurousness. Instead, the professionals recommend exercise, healthy diet,
preventive health care, good sleep, socialization, adapting to change, and so on.
I believe cause and effect cannot always be determined – correlation is not causation. Is
one the cause and the other the effect? It seems obvious that if we follow the
recommendations, we will improve our health. But maybe, if we are healthier, it will be
easier to follow the recommendations. And maybe this is not a question of either/or?
The same cause and effect conundrum is there with curiosity and adventurousness, yet
they seem different from exercise, diet and so on. Perhaps they go beyond increasing
longevity to adding joy and meaning to our lives.

At any rate, my travels afforded me many adventures – discovering a fantastic trail
among the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon, hiking around Ubehebe Crater in Death Valley,
hiking into Grand Canyon, finding a slot canyon north of Las Cruces, being moved by
the countless petroglyphs at the Three Rivers Petroglyph Site south of Carrizozo, New
Mexico, and wandering through Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. And my
curiosity was exercised by wondering about the petroglyph of a hand with six fingers,
reading about how the hoodoos are formed, comparing the amenities of a four-star hotel
with those of a three-star hotel, and conversation with my traveling companion.

To age with gusto, let’s not forget about exercise, healthy diet, preventive health care,
good sleep, socialization, and resisting ageism. But gusto has a lot to do with fostering
curiosity and being open to adventure. I liked that TSA agent; I wish I’d asked him his
name.