John Phillip Johnston’s Aunt Lizzy, by marriage, was 101 years old, “going on 200,” she would say.

More than anything else, Johnston said it was Aunt Lizzy’s positive attitude that kept her 101 years young.

Johnston laughingly told the seniors at the Brundidge Nutrition Center that a positive attitude won’t erase the years, but it will bring happiness to the golden years.

“When I asked Aunt Lizzy who mowed her grass and trimmed her shrubs, she said the young boy next door,” Johnston said. “That young boy was Jesse King. He was 84 years old. But I guess when you’re 101 years old, 84 is young.

“Aunt Lizzy was bent almost double, about at a 45 degree angle. She said being bent like that ‘comes in handy when picking up pecans.’”

Johnston was the guest speaker at the Brundidge Nutrition Center’s Older Americans Month celebration Thursday. His topic followed the theme for the month-long celebration, “Unleashing the Power of Age.”

Johnston said that National Geographic Magazine and a contingent of American doctors conducted a study on the people of Soviet Georgia who lived to advanced ages, from 102 to 132 years, although most of them smoked cigarettes and drank vodka. But there were no paved roads and they walked everywhere they went.

“National Geographic and the team of doctors came to the conclusion that the people of Soviet Georgia lived to advanced ages for three reasons,” Johnston said. “Of course, genetics played a role and, too, these people worked and walked every day. Another reason was that there were no nursing homes. Elderly people were kept at home and family members went to them for advice. They were made to feel that they were contributing members of the family. Attitude played a big role.”

Johnson told the participants at the Brundidge Nutrition Center that they have a storehouse of knowledge and that they are walking encyclopedias.

“It is said that when an older person dies, that is the equivalent of a library burning down,” he said. “You have a lifetime of memories to share and you ought to be sharing them.”

He encouraged the senior adults to share their stories, their lives with their families and friends. He encouraged them to enjoy life.

“You don’t stop playing because you are old,” Johnston said. “You grow old because you stop playing. Laugh and dream and take advantage of every opportunity. You are wealthy, maybe not in money or property but in experience. Share it.”