I’ve become digital pals with Jim Flaherty over the past few years. This 87-year-old found MEA’s free online events during the pandemic and then decided to take one of our online courses. I always appreciate Jim’s chat comments on our online fireside chats and his regular email responses to my daily Wisdom Well posts. I appreciate the fact that he acknowledges that his bathroom mirror is his most meaningful psychiatrist and that his purpose can be distilled down to six words: “I am present - Living, Giving and Loving.”

Well, Jim finally made the leap and was in our Blue Zones Longevity Baja workshop last week with our friend Dan Buettner and me. What a treat it was to finally meet this icon in the flesh and to hear a few of his classic statements like “Purpose is the reason we get up in the morning…beyond needing to go to the bathroom” or “I’m not ready to get caught on the wrong side of the grass” or (citing George Burns) “I can’t die yet, I’m booked.”

As many of you know, we offer optional surfing lessons on the last morning of our Baja workshops and Jim said, “what the heck, I’m doing this!” And, of course, his cohort rooted him on. Here’s a video of Jim riding in a wave along with a couple of photos with his surfing instructor as well as another video of him at Poetry & Lyrics. As one of Jim’s cohort members Melinda Reed said, “Who knew I had to go to an elder academy to feel more like a kid?”

Thanks for the inspiration, Jim. This past week’s cohort was so fortunate that you were their role model for what 87 can look and feel like. For those of you who want to learn from Jim, we heartily recommend you buy his book, “Embrace Your Age: You Can Be Better Than Ever.”