I realize that my blogs aren’t coming often these days, but I have an excuse: I’m fully engrossed in my “ikigai,” which is doing paintings of old barns and writing essays about their stories, some of which are fascinating. My new ikigai – you understand this term if you know LifeNuts well – began in 2012 and has driven me to paint hundreds of old barns, uncover bits of Ohio history, and preserve pieces of the past before they vanish from our landscape, which happens almost daily. Arcadia Press will be publishing a book on my work, another attempt to capture history for future generations. And, though I do the LifeNuts blogs rather inconsistently, I write a barn art newsletter every month, which tracks my progress in reaching all 88 Ohio counties, something I hope to accomplish by this October. If you’d like to be included in the newsletter, send me an email through the contact form on this site.
Oil paintings and essays aside, I walked with my nutritional and longevity mentor, Mike Fremont, a few days ago and wanted to give an update on the original LifeNut, the guy who inspired this website. At ninety-seven and a half, he’s still going strong. He told me he had planned to “run” 10 miles – now his running speed isn’t up to Kenyan standards but he covers the miles – but it was awfully hot. Yesterday the heat index in Cincinnati was over 100. We walked about three miles, talked, and solved most of the world’s problems. Mike can spit out facts and figures as quickly as any 25-year-old.
A Yale engineer grad, he focuses on the changes in our climate, which have evolved greatly from the Ice Age. His mind, rich in information he gleans from newspapers and the Internet, shows me that his plant-based diet and daily exercise continue to perfuse his brain cells with nutrients, allowing him to lead a purposeful life. He also likes to compete, which he did on July 28 in the Little Miami half marathon. He finished third in his age bracket – 70 and over – which doesn’t seem fair, pitting him against runners nearly 30 years younger. Here’s his time - https://runsignup.com/race/results/?raceId=46158#resultSetId-164860;perpage:10
As you can see, he narrowly missed first place by two hours and, though he wasn’t proud of his time, he finished 13.1 miles on a warm day, something that over 90 percent of Americans would not be able to do. He also got a chance to run next to the Little Miami River, a national scenic river, which, through his environmental efforts decades ago, sparkles like a Colorado stream. And, I’m sure that he inspired others during the race if they stopped to find out his age. Perhaps they asked him how a ninety-seven-year-old could still run, instead of being confined to a wheel chair or a nursing home. Regardless, I’m fortunate to have met him in 2007, learned from him, and to have changed my life. Thanks, Mike.
Oil paintings and essays aside, I walked with my nutritional and longevity mentor, Mike Fremont, a few days ago and wanted to give an update on the original LifeNut, the guy who inspired this website. At ninety-seven and a half, he’s still going strong. He told me he had planned to “run” 10 miles – now his running speed isn’t up to Kenyan standards but he covers the miles – but it was awfully hot. Yesterday the heat index in Cincinnati was over 100. We walked about three miles, talked, and solved most of the world’s problems. Mike can spit out facts and figures as quickly as any 25-year-old.
A Yale engineer grad, he focuses on the changes in our climate, which have evolved greatly from the Ice Age. His mind, rich in information he gleans from newspapers and the Internet, shows me that his plant-based diet and daily exercise continue to perfuse his brain cells with nutrients, allowing him to lead a purposeful life. He also likes to compete, which he did on July 28 in the Little Miami half marathon. He finished third in his age bracket – 70 and over – which doesn’t seem fair, pitting him against runners nearly 30 years younger. Here’s his time - https://runsignup.com/race/results/?raceId=46158#resultSetId-164860;perpage:10
As you can see, he narrowly missed first place by two hours and, though he wasn’t proud of his time, he finished 13.1 miles on a warm day, something that over 90 percent of Americans would not be able to do. He also got a chance to run next to the Little Miami River, a national scenic river, which, through his environmental efforts decades ago, sparkles like a Colorado stream. And, I’m sure that he inspired others during the race if they stopped to find out his age. Perhaps they asked him how a ninety-seven-year-old could still run, instead of being confined to a wheel chair or a nursing home. Regardless, I’m fortunate to have met him in 2007, learned from him, and to have changed my life. Thanks, Mike.
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