Have you ever noticed that some people go to seed early in their lives while others seem to stay vital to the very end of their days? I have puzzled over this occasionally, trying to come up with some reasons.

I read about Dr. Forrest Bird, who invented the first ventilator saving millions of lives. His first product was primitive, but he kept improving on it year after year until he won the Lifetime Scientific Achievement Award in 1985, and another one in 2005.

Perhaps for others, life presented tougher problems than they could handle. Maybe a major wound to their self-esteem sent them into a downward spiral. Or did they simply run so hard for so long that they forgot what they were running for?

Due to the encouragement of his father, a WWl pilot, Bird became a pilot at an early age and performed his first solo flight at age 14. By age 16, he was working to obtain multiple major pilot certifications that included jet aircraft and helicopters.

During his adult years, Bird subsequently made a ventilator for infants, nicknamed the “Babybird”; responsible for reducing the rate of breathing-related infant mortality from 70% to 10%.

At 86 years, Dr. Bird is still an active, highly qualified FAA certificated Flight Instructor Pilot and Aeronautical Engineer. He remains an ardent Lecturer as well as Educator, with deep Research and Development commitments in Aeromedicine.

Here’s one bloom that refuses to go to seed.


Esther Smith, author/publisher
http://dcc.thepermanentventure.com
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