Secrets to Life

Alec Holden won $50,000 this week by staying alive.

Ten years ago, he took 250/1 odds that he’d make it to his 100th birthday.

The bookies are delighted for him. (Except not really. But in a delicate, proper kind of “not really”. They’re not going to bump him off or anything.)

Anyway, he was asked how he got there. And these were his rules.

• Porridge for breakfast.
• Do as little work as you can.
• Go on as many holidays as you can.
• Keep breathing.

You can see that interview in CNN’s Offbeat (which won’t link to clips, annoyingly). And in other interviews, he apparently added:

• Tell no lies.
• Don’t worry about anything.

Not a bad set of rules. And him saying “porridge for breakfast” was completely adorable.

Happy birthday, Mr. Holden. And many more.