Hugging Another Generation

November 21, 2024

I looked over to the corner of the room to catch the moment. My daughter was hugging her Great Grandfather. I was able to capture the brief embrace on my phone. I stared at the photo first from the perspective of a proud parent, and then I switched my viewpoint.

How would it feel to hug my Great Granddaughter?

Imagine being healthy enough to drive and live alone with autonomy at 95 years old. You are also getting to know a whole other generation of your family! Dr. Peter Attia refers to this as “healthspan,” not just living longer but enjoying a higher quality of life.

During my health coach training at Duke Integrative Medicine, they taught that the first step in the Integrative Health Coaching Process was “Vision.” Answering questions such as:

What is your vision of a vibrant, healthy you?
What inspires you about this vision of optimal health and well-being?
Keeping in mind your vision of optimal health, what is most important to remember as you move forward from here toward your future?

So what does visioning have to do with my adorable picture of my daughter and her Great-Grandfather?

The moment presented me with a new way of thinking about crafting an authentic vision. I’ve had several clear short-term goals that I have achieved in my health, but I had never considered crafting an ideal vision for the last decade of my life. I have started to put myself in the shoes of a Great-Grandfather hugging another generation. Now that brings goosebumps to me!

Inspired by the book Outlive by Dr. Peter Attia, I have started to document more of this vision by listing out the activities I want to be doing in my wise, old age:) The great part is that clarifying this objective informs what strategies and tactics to employ.

Last year I took over 7,000 pictures on my phone. I’m thankful at least one of them this year has inspired me to rethink my Health Vision horizon as I lean into healthy practices for longevity, one hug at a time.