Shigeaki Hinohara, a 98 year old Japanese physician, lectures about 150 times a year and has published around 150 books since the age of 75. He also has undertaken the munificent feat of volunteering 18 hours a day since the age of 65. He says that “energy comes from feeling good, not from eating well or sleeping a lot”.
Munificent (myoo-NIF-ih-sənt)
1. *Very liberal in giving; generous
2. *Showing great generosity: a munificent gift.
Etymology
From Middle French munus, meaning “gift of service, duty, or office” + facere, meaning “to do”. Literally, “present-making”.
Philippe Petit was flipping through a magazine, looking at the future plans for the Twin Towers in New York City, when he got the idea for his landmark feat of funambulism. In 1974, he would cast a tightrope between the two towers and cross it in front of thousands. It took years of planning; he frequently disguised himself as a local construction worker or businessman to enter the building and observe all of its features. He even built a scale model. On August 7, 1974, he went for it, walking across the line eight times in 45 minutes a quarter mile above the ground.
Bipolar disorder has affected many well-known writers, including Mark Twain, Leo Tolstoy, Earnest Hemingway, Edgar Allen Poe, and Virginia Woolf. But recently, it is earning the sobriquet, “CEO’s disease”, as an increasing number of executives are admitting to the condition. Among them are Ted Turner, ABC-TV producer Bill Liechtenstein, Steve Jobs, and all three founders of Netscape.
Sobriquet (pronounced “SO-brih-kay”)
1. *An affectionate or humorous nickname.
2. An assumed name.
Dean Karnazes is an indefatigable runner. His feats include running 50 marathons in 50 consecutive days, running 350 miles in 81 hours (nonstop), and running a marathon to the South Pole at -40 degrees Fahrenheit. Karnazes had not run since high school when on his 30th birthday, while drinking at the bar, he suddenly decided to set out and run 30 miles.
Indefatigable (pronounced “in-dih-FAT-ih-gə-bəl”)
Incapable or seemingly incapable of being fatigued; tireless.
Gary Chang, an architect in Hong Kong, designed an ingenious solution for utilizing every inch of space in his 330 square foot apartment. He filled it with sliding walls and pull down furniture, letting him transform the living space into 24 distinct layouts. Slide away one wall, and there is a walk-in closet. Slide away another, and there is a bath tub. Pull down a panel, and there is a bed. For its extremely protean nature, he named it “The Domestic Transformer”.
Protean (pronounced “PRO-tee-ən”)
1. *Readily taking on varied shapes, forms, or meanings.
2. Exhibiting considerable variety or diversity: “He loved to show off his protean talent” (William A. Henry III).
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Shigeaki Hinohara, a 98 year old Japanese physician, lectures about 150 times a year and has published around 150 books since the age of 75. He also has undertaken the munificent feat of volunteering 18 hours a day since the age of 65. He says that “energy comes from feeling good, not from eating well or sleeping a lot”.
