STILL MORE ON: BEANS, NAPS, BOOZE, SEX and IKIGAI!

Here we go again! Another in the series...

Emma Morano, the world’s oldest person at 117, died at her home in northern Italy on Saturday afternoon. Morano’s doctor confirmed the news to the Associated Press, saying Morano’s caretaker informed him she had died peacefully while sitting in an armchair at her home in Verbania. Morano was also believed to be the last person alive who was born in the 1800s, with a birthday in November 1899. Morano, who outlived all eight of her siblings, had attributed her long life to a diet of three eggs a day, two of them raw, the BBC reported. She survived two World Wars, more than 90 Italian governments and a tough personal life, with the loss of her only son at six months old and an abusive marriage.

So, why do we do it? What makes it all worthwhile?

In the American remake of the movie "City Of Angels," Nicolas Cage's character, an angel, asks Dennis Franz' character, an angel who incarnated as a human being, why he did it, didn't he miss being able to hear the sunrise over the ocean the way he could in angelic form? Franz says "Yes, I do miss it sometimes, but... I can do this!" as he strips off his clothes and runs naked into the ocean.

So, it's time for a check-in, an update on your "Ikigai,"the Japanese concept meaning “a reason for being,” or as they think of it on Okinawa, “a reason to get up in the morning.” What does it for you? Love, Eros and Sex? Fine food? Music? Painting? Cooking? Playing tennis? Building a house? Watching the final episode of "Mad Men?" (I'm really glad I was here for that!)

Whatever it is that gets you up in the morning, folks, appreciate it. Remind yourself to indulge whatever your greatest pleasures and preferences are. It's why you're here... and there's nowhere else like here!




Below are two previous posts that ran under the heading on FPL:

"MORE ON: 'BEANS, NAPS, BOOZE, SEX and IKIGAI - ARE YOU IN THE BLUE ZONE? (OH, AND PASS THE BACON!)"

Okay, here's the headline: Susannah Mushatt Jones, World's Oldest Person, Eats Bacon Every Day!

Susannah Mushatt Jones turned 116 over the summer and is the oldest person in the world.

So what's her secret? It just might be plenty of bacon. Jones has bacon, eggs and grits for breakfast every morning.

Along with a daily dose of bacon, Jones spends plenty of time snoozing. Her niece, Lois Judge, told The Huffington Post in June that she sleeps about 10 hours a night and also takes regular naps.

And what about Ikigai? "I surround myself with love and positive energy. That’s the key to long life and happiness."

Jones, who was born in Alabama on July 6, 1899, is one of only two known living people who were alive in the 19th century.



[NOTE: Jones is not alone among centenarians in her love for bacon. Pearl Cantrell, who died in 2013 at the age of 105, enjoyed bacon so much that Oscar Meyer sent one of its Wienermobiles to her home to deliver some. Cantrell: "I love bacon. I eat it everyday."]




Here's the earlier post on longevity and Ikigai -

Saw a very interesting interview the other night on Bill Maher with author, Dan Buettner, who wrote the bestseller, “The Blue Zones.” What are the Blue Zones? They are 5 places in the world – from Okinawa, Japan to Loma Linda, California – where people regularly live to 100 years old. (The other 3 Blue Zones are Sardinia in Italy, Ikaria in Greece, and Nicoya in Costa Rica)

Buettner found that: "Blue Zone centenarians have somehow managed to avoid the chronic diseases – heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes – that kill the majority of people in industrialized countries around the world, and especially, in the United States.” 

Buettner sought to discover what the people in these 5 places had in common.

You ready? Here it is – every population group had beans as a regular part of their diet, took daily naps, had 2 or 3 drinks of alcohol per day, walked a lot (but no gym) and had sex at least twice a week!

Beans, naps, booze and sex!

Oh, and one more thing, perhaps the most important – they all had “ikigai,” along with some kind of spiritual practice. What is ikigai? It is a Japanese concept meaning “a reason for being,” or as they think of it on Okinawa, “a reason to get up in the morning.”

"Everyone," according to the Japanese, "has an ikigai. Finding it requires a deep and often lengthy search of self."

In a TED Talk, Dan Buettner referenced ikigai as one of the reasons people in the area had such long lives. This ties in with the entire concept of Full Permission Living, of course, and with many posts on FPL, including the recent quote from Lee Carroll channeling "Kryon," that asks the question: "What did you come here for?"

So, folks, find your ikigai. You have one. You do. And the great secret to finding it through your dedicated self-work is this: as much as possible, do what you feel passionate about doing in every moment.

And don't forget the bourbon and beans!