Meet my blogger of the moment, 80 year old Christopher Foster

Christopher Foster is an extraordinary man in so many ways. He has never been one of those people content to follow the crowd. During his life, he has followed his own truth with courage and determination. “I’ve been looking for wisdom and freedom all my life,” He tells us on his blog, “certainly since the time I got in a fierce argument about such things at lunch one day with my Dad. “I want to find the truth of life,” I declared in ringing tones, my little heart filled with passion (I was 14 or 15).” He adds, “I believe anyone can find the truth if they want to.”

This search has led him on one big adventure; a journey of discovery. This journey has, at times, been very painful, but has also inspired him to reach far beyond his comfort zone. As a result, he done things that other people only dream of doing.

Young Chris left school at age 16 determined to follow in his Dad’s footsteps. His dad was a veteran Fleet St. reporter, nicknamed Fireman Foster. His first writing job was as a junior reporter with the South London Press. An opportunity arose to work as an editorial assistant in Southern Rhodesia, and so Chris left London for the first time.

At 21, he returned to London, but couldn’t settle. “I felt lost in an alien world that seemed to me cold and meaningless,” he says. After much agonizing about whether to settle in London, he made a big decision. So, at 23, he left London and travelled to British Columbia, where he worked as a reporter for the Victoria Daily Colonist.

A string of strange coincidences led him to meet a British Lord named, Martin Cecil. “Martin had a ranch in the interior of BC, and was the founder of a spiritual community,” Chris tells. Chris joined Martin’s spiritual community in British Columbia. He relates, “I was a member of the community for 36 years and thought it would be my home forever.” While there, he married his wife Joy, and they had a son called Durwin.

However, at 78, Martin died suddenly, and the community started to dissolve. A few years later, Chris’s wife Joy had a fatal stroke, while returning home from the Caribbean. They had just celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.

At 63, Chris had to start over. He admits, “I had no choice but to return to the world I had abandoned in the idealism of youth.” To start with, he stayed with his son Durwin, who was living in Vancouver.

Chris and JoAnn

Once again a string of coincidences led him to meet and marry his new wife, JoAnn. Chris tells the story in his new book Aging into Bliss, “I had never met JoAnn, but I knew who she was because we had belonged to the same spiritual group for many years. I was planning to visit Colorado to attend a retreat and I thought, ‘Why not call JoAnn and see if we can have a coffee together?’ That’s how we got together. We married a year later.” So, you can see what I mean when I say Chris has led quite an extraordinary life.

I only met Chris fairly recently. About six months ago, I was wondering how the heck I could grow and nurture my blogging community. I am a fairly new blogger, and am learning as I go along. So, I got on Google, and started looking for something that could help me. I found a blog which mentioned Chris, his blog, and his wonderful community, so I went along to have a look. As I started to read Chris’s Blogs, I was moved by what he said and by the way he interacted with his community. Six months later, I now know him as a blogger, but also as a friend.

Chris started his own blog (
http://www.thehappyseeker.com/
) almost four years ago, in May 2009. He has been called, “the world’s oldest, newest blogger.” He started blogging in his late seventies, and over the last four years has created an engaging blog world. He has built his blog on a foundation of quality content, wisdom, truth and humor. By doing this, Chris has shown me that, at 80, he is still equal to any challenge.

How many of us say, “I’m too old for this.” or, “I couldn’t do that now.” Not Chris! Not only has he built a kick-ass blog, but he has also inspired a loyal and loving following. If you do visit Chris’s blog, you will discover that he replies to comments with such compassion and generosity. You can’t help but like him, and be inspired by him.

I can tell you now, that starting a blog, and writing quality content is not easy. Building, sustaining and nurturing a community is not easy either! Yet over the space of four years, Chris has done this, and continues to build what is a top blog. In 2011, he was listed as one of the top 50 Personal Development Blogs on the web. In 2012, Chris went one step further; he wrote and published a book called, Aging into Bliss. I bought the book before Christmas, and have read it about four times so far…

By doing all of this, Chris has shown us that you’re never too old to do anything! That’s one message that Chris is passionate about sharing. In Aging into Bliss he admits, “Aging gets a bad rap, for the most part.” He tells us, “I have learned many lessons in my life. But the most remarkable lesson of all is learning that aging, despite its challenges, can be a door to increasing happiness and fulfillment.”

In our society, as people get older, there are many negative expectations about aging. Chris tells us, “As Denver psychotherapist, Carol Leavenworth, writes in her Forward to this book, it is time to stop seeing the elderly as failed or failing adults and recognize that as the population of aging people expands many are experiencing a significant level of joy and well-being.” Chris is living proof of this.

However, Ageing into Bliss is not just for those of us who are aging. This book is for everyone on the journey of life. I wrote a review of the book on Amazon, and I think it sums up my thoughts and feelings about the book:

‘Aging into Bliss is a little jewel of a book. The first time you read it; you are moved by Chris’s story, by the power of his words and by the beautiful flow of the book from chapter to chapter. For me, this book has it all. It has content, structure and quality. As I said, Chris’s story on its own is awe-inspiring. His message about aging is revolutionary. He is right; age need not be a barrier or a restriction. Older people often feel redundant and yet what they really are, are wonderful, exciting human-beings with all of this wisdom and experience to share.’

‘ Yet, the book deals with so much more than aging and each chapter shares Chris’s profound and also touching wisdom. Each chapter has been carefully thought out and crafted. It is easy to see that Chris is a very skilled writer and thinker. Each chapter builds on the next and when you get to the end you just want to start all over again. The quality is written into every aspect of the book; from the title, to the book cover, to the quotes at the start of each chapter and into every word. In my opinion everyone should read this book!’

As you can see, I enjoyed the book, and I am one of those community members who want to tell the whole world about Chris. This is because Chris’s words, and his blog have bought something very valuable to my life, and I want to share this with you all.

I do believe that everyone in the world should be read this book, and that we would be happier, better people if we did. His message is a very powerful one. Chris’s book is on my bedside table, and for me it’s a kind of personal bible. It’s somewhere I can go to find wisdom, truth and comfort.

Chris is an inspiration to anyone of any age. His message is timeless and unique. I am so thankful to have found Chris and his writing. I am so grateful that Chris is leading by example. He’s showing me through his life that anything is possible.

If you would like to find out more about Chris, his blog or his book, you can visit him at: http://www.thehappyseeker.com/