Looking toward our event in NYC the last weekend in July, I’d like to ask anyone who intends to go and hasn’t purchased tickets yet to do so so that we can pay for the venue. If Kim and Heather don’t get enough in ticket sales, they will have to cancel it! That would be such a shame because we have all sorts of amazing people coming to share their gifts! Click HERE to order!

Also, I’m calling out for questions for the next Ask Erik magazine column so please email me yours (emedhus@gmail.com) Be sure to only submit one question and keep it as short and coherent as you can to improve the chances that your question will be chosen.

Me: Hi, Robert!

Robert: Hi.

Me: Is Erik there? Of course he is!

Robert: He’s here. He’s got a ball cap on.

Erik: It’s that kind of a day.

Me: What do you mean, Erik?

Erik: It’s a chill, relax, have fun kind of a day.

Me: It is. I have Bluebell here, my slightly demented cat.

Robert: She’s so pretty.

But she pees and poops everywhere because she forgets where the litter box is!

Me: Yeah, she is. Hey, Erik, I know there were some things you wanted to talk about according to Robert. I also wanted to have another potpourri session, but a lot of people have been wanting to talk to the 911 terrorists: one or two of them or whatever, so where do you want to begin: with what you wanted to talk about, some odds and ends or the 911 terrorists?

Erik: Let’s do odds and ends first.

Me: Okay, that sounds good.

Robert: Apparently he says some of that will tie into what he wants to talk about.

Me: Oh really?

Bluebell pummels my lap and goes back and forth, touching my keyboard from time to time.

Me: Okay, Bluebell, you have to get out of my lap.

Robert (laughing): She wants her mama.

Me: Well, I’m not her mama. My daughter is, but I’m her surrogate mom.

Bluebell insists on staying put.

Me: Okay so this guy, Dr. Li Chien Yuan—these are all from blog members. None of them are my questions, but they’re very interesting. It’s claimed by the Chinese that he lived to be very ancient like 197 to 256 years depending on what report you believe. He died in 1933. It’s reported on Wikipedia so I guess, so we wanted to verify his age or for Erik to verify his age and his secret to longevity.

Erik: It’s true that he did live a long time.

Robert: I don’t remember the age range because I was listening to Erik.

Me: How old was he?

Li Chien Yuen: 118.

Me: Wow, okay. So that’s not 256 but pretty old. Did he die in his sleep?

Li Chien Yuen: They didn’t keep good records, so it’s hard to know exactly. For some people, they have this aura about them that creates a lot of mystery that makes people want to create stories around that person. I was one of those types.

Me: Are you talking to him, the guy?

Robert: Yeah, he’s here.

Me: Oh, okay!

Robert: I can’t see him, but he’s here. Erik just brought him forward.

Me: Okay. Did you die in your sleep?

Li Chien Yuen: No. I died slowly throughout the day, and then by nighttime, I finally went. It’s not like I was fine during the day and then lied down and stopped breathing. It was happening throughout the day. It was a very comfortable way for me.

Me: Oh, good. Ease into it.

Li Chien Yuen: And that was the secret to my longevity. You have to cling to the things that make you comfortable. That’s what keeps you healthy, but you also have to find a balance between not staying in your shell—some people stay in comfort and remain in the same place—it’s the kind of comfort that doesn’t bring stagnation with it. It’s getting out and enjoying the environment.

Robert: He shows himself going on walks, and there’s a body of water nearby. It looks like a really pretty environment he was in.

Li Chien Yuen: It’s about being with family or doing things that help you feel connected. A little booze every now and then doesn’t hurt.

Robert and I laugh.

Me: Any nutrients or special teas or anything else you attribute to your longevity.

Li Chien Yuen: Nothing that I sought after. I just did what I saw my elders do.

Robert: Did you drink green tea?

Li Chien Yuen: Yes with mint and honey.

Robert: I never heard of green tea with mint and honey, but it sounds good.

Me: What did you eat?

Li Chien Yuen: Mostly soups.

Robert: It looks like there’s seaweed in it.

Me: Is it seaweed?

Robert: I was just asking him because it didn’t look like he was living close to the ocean.

Li Chien Yuen: It wasn’t seaweed. It was bok choy. That was easy to grow.

Robert describes what he’s showing him.

Me: Okay. Any other secrets? We won’t tell anybody!

Li Chien Yuen: No, some of it is being blessed with the family you’re born into.

Me: Well that’s true. They say that sometimes, not starvation, but eating very little or fasting a lot helps with longevity. Did you partake in that?

Li Chien Yuen: No, those are fads. The only reason this sometimes works is because some people believe in it. There’s a little truth in it because it slows your metabolism, but in the long term, it’s the law of diminishing returns. It starts to harm you more than help you.

Me: Okay, and exercise?

Li Chien Yuen: Exercise is very important but in moderation. In today’s society, everything is too intense.

Me: Everybody is too intense.

Li Chien Yuen: And overly competitive, and this causes people to harm themselves. I exercised but in a way that didn’t harm me. For me, it brought a sense of quietness.

Me: All right. That’s good. Anything else you want to add?

Li Chien Yuen: In today’s society, not just in the United States but throughout the world, they’re addicted to exciting things. It’s an addiction. Your brain gets so addicted to it that it wants more and more. It’s like an opiate.

Me: And you didn’t have that need for an adrenaline rush?

Li Chien Yuen: I had a taste for that when I was in my twenties, but I could see that it wasn’t sustainable.

Me: Well thank you so much for coming in!

Li Chien Yuen bows, hands together.

Me: Erik, thanks for bringing him in! So, we’ll go into another question.

Robert: Is [the bow] a Japanese thing?

Me: I don’t know.

Li Chien Yuen: It’s from the Asian culture.