I't’s common to celebrate a brilliant student, a rising actress, a 25 yr old entrepreneur or an exceptional athlete. However, there’s no age limit for extraordinary achievements. Most recently, I was taken with the Nobel Prize in chemistry awarded to Henri Kagen at age 96 along with a fellow chemist from Japan. Had young Henri not survived hiding with his family in a small French village during the Holocaust he never would have lived to pursue his higher education and devote his career to important research.

Others who have achieved great feats in their senior years are: Grandma Moses began painting at 76. Benjamin Franklin signed the Declaration of Independence at 70. Nelson Mandela at age 76 became president of South Africa after helping end apartheid. Diana Nyad swam from Cuba to Florida when she was 64. John Glenn was 77 when he orbited the Earth testing the effect of spaceflight on the biological aging process. Earning her Bachelors degree at age 95 Nola Ochs went on to receive her Masters degree three years later.

According to Yale professor Becca Levy having a positive outlook on aging can add up to 7 1/2 years to a person’s life as certain parts of the brain actually improve with age. Think about that!

-Harriet