Reading this in relation to moving toward late middle age I can see how my priorities are slightly shifting in what is happiness. Mormonism's plan of happiness is crap and more and more the older Mormons get.

What is their approaching end of life plan? Same as it always was. Jesus doesn't care. Happiness is serving regardless of living in a cardboard box or a city creek condo.

The widow must pay her mite.

Here are some metrics from a recent study in Canada about older adults and their success and satisfaction with their continuation of life.

the ability to accomplish activities of daily living

the ability to accomplish instrumental activities of daily living

freedom from mental illness and memory problems

freedom from disabling chronic pain

self-reported perceptions of happiness and physical health

adequate social support

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/study-identifies-attributes-linked-to-healthy-optimal-aging#Successful-aging-in-older-adults

My father died two years ago. I watched in several visits his deterioration. The first one was when I reconnected after over a decade of estrangement. Here was a man struggling to put a sentence together hell bent on doing his home teaching.

So where do you see yourself with these?

I think I check all the boxes above. At least I think so. Maybe I'm not mentally stable and don't know it?

Life is a struggle but assessing my quality of life, I think I got this baseline? What do you think of this list?

Interesting? Crap like Mormonism where the check boxes include doing your ministering...

I think your list sounds about right. We all want to live to a ripe old age, assuming that we have our health.

I've been thinking a lot lately about what makes me happy. I've been thinking of it as a line, with "most happy" to the right, and "very unhappy" to the left. To the far right I have time with family, pets, and close friends. To the far left are times when I've felt severely mistreated, or suffered a great deal of deprivation of one type or another. Surprisingly, my work came up fairly neutral. I like my job -- for a job, it's interesting and gratifying. But it's still a job. It was an interesting exercise to order my priorities.

Funny. I've met a couple retirement age people at work who never want to retire.

I do enjoy my job, but I also know that at a certain point I will be finished with it. I will want more time freedom along with opportunities to travel.

After I retire, I can always substitute teach in order to keep a hand in, but I'm not sure if I want to. It's more akin to babysitting than to real teaching. And my thinking is that if I'm going to be in a classroom all day long, I want to be *paid.* I'll see how it goes.

I think I would add one other thing to the list.

Are you able to plan ahead? I think there is a tendency in aging to fall into the trap of thinking too much in the now as if there is no real future. For me nothing to look forward to means destinations end
I already have plans for 2023 that include a trip to England, a fishing vacation to Arkansas, and hopefully a couple of late winter weeks in the sunshine of Nevada. Things to do and places to go. Not thinking much about a January birthday.

I think the list is a baseline but being able to intuit the future seems a nice part of daily activities.

I call that "something to look forward to," and I've realized for many years that it makes me very happy. It could be a vacation, a concert, a family get-together or trip, time off from work, or any number of other things.

My wellbeing as a senior is to never have to be in a rehab center or a nursing home, etc. I don't want my kids to have to "take care of me." My parents both died alone. I think they actually did it on purpose. I was shocked that my mother died when she did, but then again not surprised. I've talked about it before. They are the only ones on my dad's side who didn't have to spend much time in a nursing home (a few days). My dad never ended up in one. Or the hospital.

They were lucid, still driving, etc., at the time of their deaths.

That is how I want to die. My memory isn't what it could be, but I attribute that more to stress.

What do I want for my later years (now), that my son will get the diagnosis he needs and the meds he needs so that I'm not leaving a burden for my daughter when I die. I don't want things like hip replacement surgery, etc. I plan on working as long as I can.

I have some health issues, but they don't stop me so far.

This has certainly been on my mind more. I turned 71 in November (2022).

I am fortunate to go to the gym 5 days a week. Being retired, I can go when it is not crowded. Paved walking trails that start across the street from my house for additional exercise.

Playing musical instruments helps keeping the mind active and socializing with other people. I assist at a community college as a volunteer in the music department. I also play in a university wind ensemble as a community member and in a few jazz groups.

I play at assisted living facilities and see how miserable life can be in those places. I hope to never end up in one. Keeping active delays that possible eventuality. Like most here, I don't want to be a burden to my 2 children or to my wife.

Read one or two books a week. Keep television to a minimum.

I know I am fortunate to have some good health. Medical events can happen. I have had sepsis twice and nearly died last year from the 2nd bout due to hypoxia when my lungs filled with fluid. Every day is precious. The excellent medical staff saved me.

I believe it was Jamie Lee Curtis who said:

Eat Less
Move More
Do Good

Better advice than one gets from Mormonism.

Eric K Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Eat Less
> Move More
> Do Good

> Better advice than one gets from Mormonism.

Absolutely it is.

It's lovely that music can be such an important and enjoyable part of your life, Eric. That alone can soothe the soul.

Imagine if you had been in Mormonism all these years, your time never your own, and now they'd be nagging you to go on a senior mission.

{{Gag}}

Big Fat Sad Waste of Valuable Time

Instead you are out and about bringing true enjoyment to people doing something you love = win/win.

Eat Less
Move More
Do Good

Love it. Thanks