Does it matter if you practice CR and your Partner Doesn't?

[Paul McGlothin]

What do you think? Does it matter whether you practice CR and your partner doesn't? At first, it may make little difference. But as the years roll by, things will change. Almost imperceptibly at first, you will stay younger and your partner will grow old. How do you handle that? This is the subject of the latest CR Way blog post, inspired by E. S. Purnell, the talented British author, who lives in Belgium and who must have written her novel, The Mistress, with the benefit of a crystal ball. She writes what will likely happen in a love triangle, when one person follows a CR lifestyle and the other does not. Most impressive was the way she described the CR Way of life through one of the novel's characters.

 

I found her insights amazing. She correctly, IMO, describes the difficulties those who have a tendency to be too slim face with CR. She also shows great insight in the role of epigenetics on aging. This is something I have thought a lot about and that will be measured in the current CR Society study.

 

But what I found most dramatic was Purnell's description of one of the characters when she is seen by the "Mistress" for the first time. If have ever witnessed life long CR practitioners at 90 , you'll know that this description is not far from the truth! I think the Mistress is a must read for CR folk. And if your partner doesn't practice CR, do everything you can to entice them to read it!

 

 

Paul

 

 

 

[Saul]

Hi Paul!

 

The scenario that you paint is hardly hypothetical to me ( -- or to Dean Pommerlau -- ). I have been practising CR for about 16 years, while my wife does not.

I am 14 1/2 years older than my wife. We have two daughters; one still lives with us, the other is married and in NYC, starting an MD/PhD program at NYU this July.

 

My wife and i celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary last night -- we are now very tolerant of each other. When I began practising CR 16 years ago, my wife was quite hostile -- she was

critical of my "Obsessive Compulsive" behaviour in my diet, and I was obviously not approving of the sort of things that my wife was eating.

 

But, over the years, we've both mellowed, and are very tolerant of each other's behaviour.

 

Although I'm the oldest person in our family, I'm probably the healthiest --- when a cold or flu runs through our family, I never get it.

 

But, in answer to your question: I'm on CR, but significantly cronologically older than my wife -- perhaps we'll age in tandem?

 

 

-- Saul