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As women, let’s face it, we sometimes dread those later years of our lives in terms of how they might affect us both physically and mentally. Who wants to grow old and decrepit, right?
There seems to be a consistent and growing trend in eating healthier, exercising more, and maintaining a positive attitude. Those are all great indicators that as we glide into the afternoon of our lives that the transition will most likely be seamless and pleasant. However, I often wonder why we seem to stress ourselves out with the age thing. After all, our bodies are not meant to last forever. In observing one interesting lady over the years, I have found that the best way to keep the clock of time from creeping up on you rests in the daily use of laughter and good humor, complemented by a clear presence of mind.
At age 45, I sometimes feel as if I am gearing up for the senior citizen lifestyle. After all, there are some days when my mailbox is holding a “Come Visit Our New Senior Care Facility” invitation with my name in bold letters on the front. I frequently ask myself just how 45 became the new 95, and I cannot figure it all out.
The reason for my confusion rests mainly in one woman, my grandmother. When her next birthday arrives, she will be 105 years of age. One could reasonably assume she is resting comfortably in a secluded nursing home, wheel-chair bound, and staring blankly at a fuzzy television set. Amidst mental confusion, she might ask a nursing attendant if Truman won or if she could give the gal a dime to go get a loaf of bread. However, this 104-year-old woman is here to show how 104 is the new 54!
Since my grandmother, Kora, turned 100 years of age, I have toyed with the idea of writing a book about her incredible life. During my research over the past few years, it has become increasingly evident that she is unlike any other so-called “mature” individual. I would like to highlight how ANYONE can act like a 104-year-old and look forward to an even richer life.
1.) At your 100th birthday party, be sure to come out in a bathrobe in front of everyone and start to do a striptease. Sexily sway your hips back and forth and slowly reveal your stunning 40-year-old bathing suit. Let the act immediately stop there, grab a Margarita, and head for the nearest hot tub.
2.) When you get your photo taken in honor of your 100th birthday, examine the proofs and tell the photographer that you think your face looks too wrinkled. When the photographer assures you that he can airbrush those out for just $100.00 more, tell the photographer to just photograph you from a little further away for free. Thus, the wrinkles are far less visible, and you have saved yourself $100.00!
3.) When you are 102 years of age and on vacation in Colorado, take a spin on a Harley. When someone offers you assistance on getting on the hog, slap his hand and proclaim, “I can do this myself!”
4.) When you catch your 45-year-old granddaughter working on the computer, ask her about those Internet porn sites. Then see how you respond when she says, “Gee, Grandma….looks like I have found your profile here!”
5.) When you are on a Caribbean cruise to celebrate yet ANOTHER birthday, grab your granddaughter’s new husband and take him up to the topless deck. After all, you want to see if anything has changed from that standpoint since the early 1900s!
6.) When it is time to go out to dinner, head to the nearest buffet-style restaurant. Rush immediately to the buffet to see if the food is anything to your liking. Sample a few things here and there by simply reaching into the dishes with your hands. After several samples and several long minutes, decide you would be better served if you headed across the street to McDonald’s, where the coffee is free for seniors!
7.) When the nation elects a new President, get nervous, call your daughter-in-law, and lament relentlessly about how worried you are about your financial future.
8.) Ask your grandkids if you are in their wills!
9.) Gross out the great-grandkids who reach into your purse for a mint and find two baggies side-by-side. Tell them one bag holds your leftovers from that meal at McDonald’s and that the other baggie holds your stool sample for your doctor. The mints will remain in your purse untouched from there on out.
10.) At age 102, experience a phenomenon that would appall most women: start menstruating again. “I have seen this in some women her age,” noted her doctor. To which I reply, “Exactly how many women her age have you seen?” Grandma was just upset as she had to go buy “those dang maxi pads” again.
11.) Decide that, at 104 years of age, you want to pack up and move….start over, as you are getting rather bored in your current location.
These are just a few handy reminders of how to act like a 104-year-old woman. Be sure to check back next year to see how a 105-year-old lady acts!
Add a Comment22 Comments
Ann,
I'm astonished! How wonderful! This is one of my favorite posts of all time.
Even coming from a family where the woman are long-lived, I am in awe of your grandmother. I and most of my friends are just past 50, and a person does a lot of thinking right around 50 about "the next 50" and what it might hold. How much potential is there for new skills, new experiences, new arcs of development? How much time is left and how good can that time be? What will we do in our second 50 that we didn't or couldn't do in our first 50? What are the possibilities?
Thanks for reminding all of us that we better get off our keisters and get to it, because with your grandmother working on "her third 50," clearly the rest of us have some work to do in this regard! She's leaving us in the dust!
June 18, 2009 - 9:25amThis Comment
Every time I feel like I need a break or something, I merely think of my grandma and how much she has done in her life. From that perspective, I have my work cut out for me!
June 27, 2009 - 7:38pmThis Comment