The Ultimate In Positive Thinking?

I will never forget an evening in 2003, when I met an amazing gentleman. I had, for several weeks, had a problem with my foot and ankle, having great trouble walking because of the pain. It was a bit swollen, and I thought it was an injury of some sort, although I could not recall how it had happened.

The doctor at the local hospital did not examine it. She looked at my age on the notes, glanced down towards my foot, and said: "Oh, that's gout. It comes with your age." As I was only 53, and feeling quite healthy, I was not impressed. I never went back; I knew for sure it was nothing arthritic. I had long experience of arthritic pain in my younger days. This was not right; I was convinced it was an injury, but was baffled.

I decided just to rest it as much as I could for a few days, and it did show some sign of easing, but not a lot. I had started to fathom out how it may have happened. I lived then, and now, in Palawan, a beautiful province of the Philippines, something of a tropical paradise. Then, I still slept with the air conditioning on, albeit down low. More often than not, my feet would become uncovered during the night, and they were right under the air conditioning unit. So, I was waking with cold feet every morning.

Then came that evening I will not forget. A friend had told me she knew of a herbalist who people turned to when conventional western medicine had failed. That evening, she brought him to our apartment. We all sat around and there was polite chatter, with the gentleman sitting opposite me. As he came in, and then sat down, I had admired his agility and remarkably healthy appearance.

I noticed that he was observing my foot; and I had been observing him, too. I thought to myself that he was probably about 65, but as he was so healthy, only looked about 58. He had a young face, and good skin. My friend looked over with a big smile.

"Roy, Mr ??.. is 100 years old."

I was shocked, and aghast. I think he is used to that reaction.

"What?......Really?"

My friend laughed: "Yes, 100 years old. And he has 45 children from 4 wives."

I observed him from a different viewpoint now, and with disbelief. I was too polite to ask at what stages each of his wives died, but he had outlived them all. All his children had been successful one way or another, and he was a proud and happy man.

What was his secret? He was a man of the forest. Palawan is still blessed with historic rainforest, which hide many secrets in and below its trees. It was the trees of the forest that he used to treat people, and had achieved some wonderful results over the years. He was too modest to have told me that, it was my friend who told me of his successes. He shrugged if someone asked his secrets about his being 100 years old, and appearing so healthy and young. His answer was a fairly short one:

"I eat only good healthy food. I have never drunk alcohol. I have had a happy life. I pray every day, and believe in God."

There was one more reason he gave for his longevity: "I always wanted to live to be very old. I always saw it that way. Every day I imagined myself over 100."

Now, those may not be his exact words, as my friend translated for me as he spoke. But one thing I do know, he spoke with great sincerity, calmness and a subdued authority. He was the epitome of confidence. I was in awe at this small, lithe, 100 year old Superman.

My ankle and foot? Eventually he sprung out of his chair, and examined my foot.

"No arthritis," he said, and I did understand that as he spoke. Then my friend had to translate. He had observed, I walked on cold tiles. He said I would go from the outside, where it was hot, and come in and immediately walk on cold tiles. The blood was no longer reaching my feet properly.

That reminded me of what I had been thinking about the air conditioning while I slept. I explained, and he nodded knowingly. Each morning I would get out of bed and immediately do over 100 push ups. While the exercise is mostly on the arms, the tendons on the ankles get stretched with each push. Cold tendons being stretched over 100 times? Every morning. For months. That was it; that was probably the cause of the swollen ankle.

He said not to worry, it could be cured in 3 days of treatment. He had to travel down to the south of Palawan, and go into the forest in search of the barks and leaves he needed. It was the rainy season, and he was gone a week. I was still struggling to get walking when he returned, but it was only 2 days to go until I was due to fly to Cebu, so no time for the 3 days of treatment.

I need not have been concerned. He came back twice to apply a hot compress, steaming with the magic ingredients of the rain forest. Then, I had to get my flight. "Don't worry," he said, that should be fine. He was right; apart from an occasional twinge while in Cebu, it was fine, even as I walked around.

All he asked in return was the payment of his travel down to southern Palawan and back, as it was a journey he had not planned to make. He gave his time, knowledge and attention for free.

My ankle, though, was not why I remember that 100 year old gentleman. To me, his was the ultimate example of positive thinking. He always told himself he would live to be 100, and he did.

Ever since then, I have had a plan for my 100th birthday. It is a day I think of a lot. My guest of honour that day will be, if I can track him down, that gentleman of the forest. He will be 147 then, and with the way he was looking at 100, he will still be around, surprising people as much as ever.

This positive thinking article was written by Roy Thomsitt, owner of the Routes To Self Improvement website.

best cleaning company Highland Park ..
In The News:

MIT develops needle-free glucose monitor using light technology. Revolutionary device could replace painful finger pricks for diabetes management.
The ClickFix campaign disguises malware as legitimate Windows updates, using steganography to hide shellcode in PNG files and bypass security detection systems.
Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University designed a 21-foot dome that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining urban food system.
The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.
ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.
Android rolls out Emergency Live Video for 911 calls, letting dispatchers see real-time scenes during emergencies. Great for holiday travel safety.
Malicious Chrome and Edge extensions collected browsing history, keystrokes and personal data from millions of users before Google and Microsoft removed them.
Google's new Call Reason feature lets Android users mark calls as urgent before dialing, displaying an urgent label to recipients using Phone by Google app.
Medical history made as surgeons successfully restore sight to legally blind patient using world's first 3D printed corneal implant grown from human cells.
Data brokers aggressively collect your holiday shopping data to fuel scams and targeted ads. Learn how to delete your digital profile before 2025 starts.
Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.
Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.
Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.
New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.
A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.
AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.
A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.
New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.
The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.
Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.
Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.
Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.
Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.
Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.
Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.

A Major Block to Constructive Change

A Yale University study a few years ago revealed that... Read More

The Illusion of Failure

The most dangerous thing is illusion. ~ Ralph Waldo EmersonFailure... Read More

Creating Success Through Self-Affirming Thought Patterns

Everyone of us has the potential to successfully more through... Read More

Self Confidence and the Way You Use Your Words

The way we use language can have a huge impact... Read More

Increasing Expectation Positively!

At your next staff meeting lead your team through the... Read More

Perspective Is Everything

Ever witnessed an incident that needed to be reported to... Read More

Life as a Burden Vs. Live as a Privilege

Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Is the glass... Read More

3 Ways to Change Roadblocks into Valuable Tools

Our initial reaction when hitting a setback or a "roadblock,... Read More

Are You A Victim Of FABS? Part One

Have you heard of the FABS? The FABS are quadruplets;... Read More

Forget Positive Thinking

There are always explanations for why things to you or... Read More

Change Your Head Position For A Flood Of Positive Energy!

Have you ever considered that you may be subconsciously sabotaging... Read More

From The WorkWise Collection: Transform Your Fears into Positive Power

Fear is a double-edged sword. It can hold you back... Read More

Important Days Ahead

Humans tend to categorize things by large or small, bright... Read More

You Have All The Resources You Need

You already have all the resources you need to accomplish... Read More

Life, The Greatest Ride of All

Life is the greatest roller coaster ride we will ever... Read More

Stepping Into Possibility Thinking

Our thoughts really belong to the collective consciousness of the... Read More

If Youre Stuck Then Make a Different Decision

Many people don't really understand the gift they have been... Read More

Thanks For The Rejection!

It sounds a little masochistic, but I actually appreciate being... Read More

The Use of Affirmations

What is an affirmation? One possible definition is a specific... Read More

Community After Tragedy

One Friday in November, I began a journey from New... Read More

The Enchanted Self - Thats Each of Us!

In my years as a psychologist, I have come to... Read More

Feel Those Feelings and Develop Emotional Intelligence

There is an old joke about a man who is... Read More

Possibilities

When you look at your future in terms of your... Read More

Fighting Terrorism With Enchantment

Many of you may look at my title and wonder... Read More

Your Best Defense Against Aging: Your Attitude To Life

In the international bestseller, Blink, Malcolm Gladwell explains how researchers... Read More

high-end home cleaning Winnetka ..