Here's another look from a guy who is there already.
In many ways, he is not at all a forum kind of guy, being a dyed in the alpaca, raging hippie sort, counter cultural all the way. He was one of the pioneers of the natural building movement in the sixties. Not a traditional alpha or capitalist, or any of that.
On the other hand, he has made the exact life he wants, has stayed true to his own vision, is hands on self sufficient, is in great physical shape and I think he still surfs and skateboards. Not a smooth character or swankster, he is more of the grizzled outdoor veteran of life.
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He's 84. Know how old that is? Some of you are quitting your office jobs to do something entrepreneurial, well he did the same thing, on his own, in 1960.
His name is Lloyd Kahn, and I follow his blog as he travels around the country sharing photos and thoughts about interesting architecture, organic gardening, nature, stuff like that.
http://lloydkahn-ongoing.blogspot.com/
He is all over the place, and he may be lecturing at a local college near you if you are in the states. There are people who have been learning from him and listening to him for years.
He is only a little guy, but I saw him speak once and he has got a major presence, I will tell you that.
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When I look at pictures of him skateboarding, or read his blog when he talks about it, I don't get the feeling he is trying to relate to the young'uns, or keep current, only that he likes to skateboard.
Here he is with three generations of his family at a skate park, at 84.
If you feel like checking out his blog, and it is one of those blogs worth checking at least once a week, you will see that he has a basic curiosity about the whole world, and that he seems to be plugged in to every thing practical or valuable, or beautiful.
He has a child's appreciation of everything.
(This includes Bootsy's Formula For the Funk Bass.)
http://lloydkahn-ongoing.blogspot.com/2017/11/bootsys-formula-for-funk-bass.html
One of the things I like about him is his simplicity and honesty. If he is famous for anything, it is for being one of the early adopters and cheerleaders of the geodesic dome house.
This is one of his.
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Over the years he came to believe that these sorts of buildings were a waste of time, all the angles ripe for leaks, and the extra time spent on weirdly cut shapes wasted, and forget about furniture fitting a curved wall.
So he changed his mind, admitted he was wrong, and moved on. I can't help but think this also helps you stay vital into old age, as it is far less stressful than pretending you were right about all your fuckups.
By the way, here is his revised bit of advice to people who want to build their own houses. He offers in this post as some advice to the people who lost their homes in the recent California fires (So he has some interest in helping his wider community too.), but the wisdom in here is really gold, and will save a lot of time and wasted money too.
http://lloydkahn-ongoing.blogspot.com/2017/12/advice-to-californians-building-new.html
If you have any interest at all in building your own home, I would suggest you check out that post, especially the linked Dropbox document, as there is more wisdom there than you can shake a stick at.
He's got a Youtube channel which often has simple practical advice for living a good life, like how to wash the dishes without wasting water, or what are some good tools for a workshop.
So I wouldn't mind living a life something like this dudes. He has built a legacy in his own niche, one that will never go out of style, one that is of the highest value to people, and he continues to add to that legacy online and in person by doing the things he loves. He is in excellent physical shape, and looks somewhat timeless to me, a sui generis dude.
This post on his blog details his thoughts on being his age.
Deep Old Age
In an interview in Sunday's NYTimes Book Review section, Philip Roth, now 84, says"…in just a matter of months I’ll depart old age to enter deep old age — easing ever deeper daily into the redoubtable Valley of the Shadow.…”
And that he’s astonished that he makes it to the end of each day.
Got me thinking about aging. I’ll be 83 in a few months.
Looking back, my golden years physically were ages 50-65 or so, in terms of strength/cardio/flexibility adjusted for age. A lot of this had to do with me working on fitness books — stretching, running, weight training — for 20 years, and hanging out, and stretching, running, and lifting weights with my authors. I was serious runner for 20-25 years, swam, surfed, rode bikes and went to aerobic dance classes (usually the only guy in the class).
Then as I got to age 70, things started needing repair. A lifetime of using the body.
I tell people, the good news is that you’re not yet 70, the bad news is that you will be some day. Since turning 70, I’ve had 2 shoulders and 2 knees and one wrist repaired (no metal or plastic parts) + a compound wrist fracture from skateboarding...yes, I know, I know.
Old people get weak more from lack of activity than from ticking of the clock.
I’m so interested in my work these days, I don’t get out as much as I should. BUT each time I go for a hike, or paddle, or jump under a cold waterfall, I feel invigorated, alive, inspired.
Bob Anderson says, “You never hear anyone saying, ‘I’m sorry I just worked out.’”
What I learned in those years, from those guys, was the value of staying fit.
I work on posture every time I think of it. If I see as person with good or bad posture, it's a reminder. Shoulders back, down, relax.
If you don't use it, you are gonna lose it fer shure.
So this is a reminder to myself to get my ass away from the keyboard more often. Mind and body are not separate entities.
Yeah, he is married, only got one woman. Still, you could do worse than a Lloyd Kahn kind of life.
(And think of that, he considers his golden years, physically, to be 50 to 65.)
There's life to be lived yet.