16 WESTERN PALLET
CWPCA Enjoys Successful Annual General Meeting in Victoria, BC
The Canadian Wood Pallet and Container Association (CWPCA) held its AGM June 7-9 in Victoria, BC at the Inn at Laurel Point. The reception and dinner overlooked Victoria’s beautiful inner harbor. The meeting marked a social emphasis, including the annual general meeting and dinner on Friday evening, a half day business program on the Saturday morning that allowed time for whale watching and fishing outings on Saturday afternoon prior to the evening reception, and golf on Sunday.
The event achieved the highest attendance in recent years and was bolstered by West Coast U.S. attendees from the Western Pallet Association.
How to Die Young at an Old Age
Living to a ripe old age can be a blessing or a curse, according to Dr. Dave Hepburn, the keynote speaker at the business session. While it can mean spending more time doing the things you love, or with the ones you love, it can also be “a time of melancholy, loneliness, poverty, frailty, loss of friends, loss of a loved one or even spouse,” he said. Growing old for many people is synonymous with just basically giving up and waiting to die.
“I'm here to tell you that the sooner the growing old is stripped of its reflexive dread, then the easier it is for us to benefit from the opportunities not only for ourselves of being older but what we can also do for others,” he said. From his perspective, a healthful and happy old age is the outcome of taking appropriate steps along the way to increase its likelihood. “It is important, I think, that we learn now that aging is something that can be enjoyed rather than endured,” he said.
Hepburn offered several tips towards having a happy, full life. His suggestions included attention to diet (more fresh foods and whole grains - foods with anti-inflammatory properties), reducing bad stress, and getting enough sleep. Sleep is essential for the body to affect DNA repairs. It also increases cortisol, which reduces tumors.
Other important lifestyle choices include staying active (take the stairs, park the car further away), and to retain a childlike curiosity for life. An active lifestyle is important to a happy life, versus a sedentary approach. “Realize the ship that is in a harbor is safe, but that's not what ships were built for,” he commented, drawing a parallel to how people choose to spend their senior years.
Laughter, he said, is also important. An average child, he noted, laughs 300 times daily versus 40 times for an adult. His recommendation is to start by memorizing a few jokes. Humour is infectious, and starting with a few jokes can help spark more enjoyable relationships. Being engaged in the community and having pets are also positively correlated to having a longer, more healthful life.
“Remember, aging is not lost youth,” Hepburn said, but a new stage of opportunity and strength.” He finished with a quote from Einstein, “Do not grow old no matter how long you live. Never cease to stand like curious children before the great mystery into which we were born.”