LIVING TO BE 100

By Ryhaan Shah

It’s a fact that more people are living to 100 years and beyond. Much of this has to do with better health care and with many of us choosing to live healthier lives.
Here in Guyana, we have our fair share of centenarians. In February, Mrs Eileen Walrond of South Ruimveldt became our latest centenarian. Mrs Ina Ellis of East Ruimveldt turned 101 in January, and Mrs Eileen Bunbury celebrated her hundredth birthday at her Plaisance home. She credits her long life to her Christian values and is thankful to have lived to see five generations of her family.
Mr Lorip McDonald, of Tucville, is now 102 years old. His simple philosophy of life is “You live, do what is right, and the Lord will direct you.” He found purpose in life by standing up for others and using his voice to help people when he served as a politician. He has found that a life lived with purpose grows richer with time.
For Elizabeth Milner of Suffolk, UK, “veggies and chocolate” are the key to her long and healthy life. She celebrated her 104th birthday last December, and Josie, of York, is 102 years old. She took up dancing at age 60 and credits her new hobby for her longevity.
There are some 14,000 centenarians living in Canada, and their stories about achieving a long life place importance on the joy of living.
At age 101, Betty sees happiness as a choice. “I don’t know what’s really to complain about. I went through life staying happy,” she said.
The centenarians all found joy in each day. Betty enjoyed cheating at solitaire, and Jean, 100, played the piano. Clementina, 101, had fun gambling, and Joyce, 100, continued to write stories and watch her grandchildren in music concerts.
Family was central to their lives, and they enjoyed spending time with their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Several of the women stated that raising their children was the biggest accomplishment of their lives.
In the United States there are about 97,000 centenarians, and among them is Mary, who was born in Wisconsin in 1923. She was a teacher, and when she retired in 1986, she embarked, along with her daughter, on travels abroad which took them to Ireland, Turkey, Greece and a cruise through the Panama Canal.
Aside from her active and engaged lifestyle, when asked about her secret to longevity, Mary’s response was very simple: chocolate. Whether it’s a piece of dark chocolate or a chocolate dessert, this sweet treat has been her faithful companion throughout her years.
If you have noticed that most of the centenarians featured are women, you have picked up on the statistic that fewer men reach the age of 100. Apparently, they more often succumb to chronic illnesses and diseases. However, as more men try to follow good dietary habits and remain more physically and mentally fit, that statistic will likely change.
Among the men who reached 100 and beyond is K Madvahan, who was a noted Indian freedom fighter. He lived to be 101. He joined the Salt Satyagraha (Salt March) and was arrested and jailed for six months. That was the beginning of his active involvement in politics.
His autobiography “Payaswiniyude Theerangalil” (On the Banks of River Payaswini) is considered a valuable document of a transformative epoch in modern Kerala history.
New Yorker George Abbot lived to age 107. He was a noted theatre producer and won Tony Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and an Academy Award and was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.
Samuel Odulana Odugade I died at age 102 in 2016. He was the 40th Olubadan of Ibadan and is also reputed to have been the oldest living monarch in Nigeria.
His career included serving as an army officer in World War II, working as a clerk and teacher and entering politics in 1959. In 2007, he was crowned Olubadan of Ibadan at the age of 93.
American folk artist Grandma Moses, who picked up a paintbrush at age 78, lived to be 101. She started painting when arthritis forced her to give up embroidery, a lifelong hobby. She didn’t give in to her condition but simply found joy in another pursuit for which she is well remembered. Hers is the kind of ingenuity and tenacity that mark most of the stories told by those who live to be 100.
American fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, who is 79, says, “Ageing is out of your control. How you handle it, though, is in your hands.”