Young At Heart 2: The Secret To Longevity

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At nearly 102 years old, Millard LaJoy knows a thing or two about living life, and he’s ready to give out his secret of longevity to anybody who’ll listen.

“I just tell them, hold your anger; don’t get mad at anybody. Just forgive them. If they say something to hurt you — hurt your feelings and that — that’s part of life,” Millard said.

But he says the true power of positive thinking doesn’t come easily.

“You just can’t hold a grudge with anybody. You have to develop it. It’s work. Forgiveness is a gift. That’s why you have to nurse it,” Millard said.

And medical experts agree.

“People who are 100 now are certainly outside of that norm,” said Dr. Latina Else, who is a licensed psychologist at St. Luke’s Hillside Clinic in Duluth.

“There are actually some fabulous studies out on mindfulness or mindful- based stress reduction,” Else said.

She says exercise and a good diet definitely help, but it’s keeping a healthy mind that’s just as important to living the longest life possible.

“Some of the therapy I do is helping people identify what it is they are telling themselves that makes them hold on to that stress — like this shouldn’t be happening, or that’s not fair; you know, I shouldn’t be inconvenienced,” Else explained.

Dr. Else believes we need to work the brain often and at all ages by socializing, having supportive friends and staying active with your passions — things you care about.

“Being part of a social group, playing cards, playing bingo — whatever it is that gets your brain moving is really good for us.”

And for Millard, that’s never been a problem.

He absolutely loves to take his wheels out for a spin, even if that means a recent run-in with police for forgetting to buckle up.

“He says, ‘well, I’m going to give you a warning.’ He says, ‘geez, you’re a hundred years old!'” 

Millard hits the mall at least three times a week to meet up with old-time friends — at least the ones who are still alive.

“We talk about sports. We talk about everything,” Millard said.

But it’s his lifelong passion for the beat of music that he says is the secret to keep his heart beating for all these years.

He even performs with the support and love from family, especially his 72-year-old son Hartley.

“He said it’s something you can enjoy doing the rest of your life. I mean, if you play baseball, or football or whatever — you can’t do that forever. You get too old,” Hartley Lajoy said.