Health Span Differs from Life Span

Photo by Quinn Dombroski.

Because I am a gerontologist, people often talk to me about their desire for longevity.

But is this wise?

I spent three years volunteering in a multi-level care center, observing the difference between lifespan (how long a person lives) and health span (how long a person lives without disability).

The all-too-human desire for longevity reminds me of the Greek myth of Tithonus.

He was a mortal who was the beloved of Eos, the Titan goddess of the dawn. She asked Zeus to bestow eternal life upon Tithonus. Zeus did so.

But Tithonus did not receive eternal youth. Instead, age transformed him into a grasshopper.

And that problem--immortality vs eternal youth--has been exaggerated in the 21st Century as people in industrialized nations are living several years longer than their great grandparents.

Big Fish: Film Review

Released: December 10, 2003.

Big Fish (2003) ranks as one of my all-time favorite films.

Yes, it contains themes related to aging.

However, many elements of the film are pertinent to people of all ages:

parent-child relationships (particularly father-son conflicts), courage, family legacies, truth vs illusion, coping with illness--and more.

The bottom line: WATCH THIS FILM!

I rewatched this film on Father's Day weekend with one of my teens.

What was my takeaway this time?

Big Fish illustrates this phenomenon: family members each hold their own version of reality.

My past viewings were informed by my decades of work in English departments.  In 2013, I earned a gerontology degree.  Between my new paid work and upcoming life changes, I'm looking less at the artistry and more at the family roles.

I'm now a midlife person who is launching a young adult son while offering (pitifully inadequate) long-distance support to aging parents.

(Young Edward from birth through childhood is played by more than one character, but the greater portion of the flashbacks are portrayed by Ewan McGregor; late-life Edward is played by Albert Finney. The adult son is portrayed by Billy Crudup.)