Will Over Weil

Andrew Weil seems like a pretty sane guy, as health gurus go. Any expert who promotes natural aging instead of the pricey self-denial offered by most who serve the senior set is a step in the right direction. But I'm really sick of listening to the radio commercials for his line of cosmetic products that feature "magic mushrooms." I'll admit to bemusement at the fact that they can get away with calling them that on the air, despite the fact that Weil has written favorably about the illegal sort. Hearing that syrupy voice extol the virtues of his line every fifteen minutes is more than I can take, however.

So I was pleased to read today's story of a 62-year-old woman from Redding, California who just gave birth to a healthy baby boy. The idea of a great-grandmother having a baby is interesting enough. When I got to the end of the story, though, it became a hell of a lot more intense:

Wulf is used to defying the odds. Blind since birth, she was a synchronized swimmer in high school, worked as a piano and organ saleswoman and developed a passion for cooking.

Wulf said Friday that she considers her late-in-life pregnancy a groundbreaking act for older women.

"Age is a number. You're as old as you feel," she said. "Every time you revolutionize something or you do something different, there's going to be naysayers."

You can't buy a will like that at the department store cosmetics counter. And I'll bet she's a better shot than Dick Cheney too.