Everyone's a Winner!

Right after announcing my contest encouraging readers to write and tell me about someone they knew who had lived to be a ripe ol' age, I attended a Jazzercise class and saw a friend I hadn't seen for ages. Before the  music started and we were warming up,  I asked her to tell me about her father who I knew had lived into his  90's.

"He passed away at age 96" was her response.
I coaxed her, looking for more, "what do you think was the secret to his longevity?"
Without a second thought she spouted out "LOVE"!
"I believe my father stuck around so long because of his love for everything".
"He loved children, he loved nature, he loved animals, he loved me!"
Now both of us were teary eyed and as the music started and we began to march on the spot I asked "and what else, did he drink tea, did he drink coffee, any special diet?"
and she said enthusiastically, "well, come to think of it, he had a shot of espresso every day after age 90!"

Love and a strong shot of caffeine!  I liked that answer! So, even though Linda didn't officially write to me and enter my contest, I am going to bring her some chocolate as a prize anyway.

As well, four  readers submitted their stories and I have decided to give them all  Rogers Chocolates, made right here in Victoria, Canada.  The most detailed of the lot (Janna)gets the most deluxe prize, but all of you are winners and all responses will be published here on my blogspot beginning first with Janna's:


Almost a century ago, in 1917 to be exact, three small islands in the Caribbean by the names of St. John, St. Croix and St. Thomas, which had been under Danish sovereignty for the previous 300 years, were sold to the United States. These days huge cruise ships call in at Charlotte Amalie, the capital city of St.Thomas, but at the beginning of the last century when this story begins, visiting ships would have been merchantment and Danish Naval vessels, with the opportunity for the crew of those vessels to meet and mix with the residents of the city and their families. The head of one of those families and part of the Jewish community was a pharmacist by the name of Petit.

He had a daughter, Clara, whose last named suited her most admirably, for she was indeed petite in stature. At a dance given for visiting Naval officers she met, and was wooed by, my husband's great uncle, eventually coming to Denmark to become his bride.

Two generations later, I, another young island bride, this time from England, came to live in Copenhagen at a time when Great Aunt Clara, by then eighty-three, was the matriarch of the immediate Danish family. A dainty, dignified figure in what seemed like her unchanging outfit of a long black dress, set off by a high white lace collar that complemented the elegantly coiffed white hair atop her head. A tiny black velvet ribbon circling the neckline completed the picture of a lady whose appearance seemed frozen in time.

She was a Danish citizen, but when the infamous round-up of persons of Jewish origin took place in l943 during the German occupation of Denmark in World War II, she was subjected, with hundreds of other Jewish Danes, to the utter indignity of transportation in a cattle wagon to Teresienstadt, a concentration camp in German occupied Czechoslovakia. A camp remembered to-day not only for the totally inhuman conditions that prevailed there, but also for the fact that before International Red Cross inspectors were permitted to make their one and only visit to report on what they saw and experienced, the camp authorities were instructed to create a facade of normalcy by planting flowers, painting buildings and permitting some cultural activities for the benefit of the visitors. A facade behind which, when the Red Cross inspection was over, the brutality of every aspect of camp life was continuous, including the forced witnessing by the whole population of public executions of fellow prisoners. Two and one half years later, in May of 1945, Germany surrendered to the Allied Forces, and the return of concentration camp survivors to their homelands began.

I met Great Aunt Clara in the summer of 1946 and very soon learned from other family members that her horrific wartime experiences were never to be alluded to or spoken of. She lived, with her two unmarried daughters, in a spacious fifth floor apartment reached by a spiral staircase of the style of 1800's buildings before the advent of elevators.

The fact that she lived to be almost 101 years old just may be attributed, in part, to the exercise imposed by those stairs, in addition to her very firm will.

Readers of this story who would like to learn more of the camp/ghetto at Teresienstadt to gain some concept of what this little lady survived, will find all the information they need on "Google".

And submitted by Bill:

An uncle of mine lived to be a ripe old 92, probably because of no single factor but several.
Not an educated man, Uncle John was a good carpenter. He built houses - one a year. He'd begin building in the spring, by fall the house was finished. In November he would go deer-hunting for a week or two and for the rest of the winter it seemed he more or less hibernated.
Later in life I learned that he would often walk the neighbourhood; sometimes on his meanderings he would, finding an old bicycle left out for the trash vehicle to pick up, take it home and work on it over the winter... come spring he would sell it.
Uncle John read the newspaper every day; he enjoyed a particular columnist and would write him a letter from time to time; occasionally his letter would be published.
But more important than his simple lifestyle, it was a deep and abiding love relationship between him and Aunt Norma that gave his life longevity...but also, in a way, ended it. He was approaching his 90's the last time I went to visit them. As we sat chatting I could not help but be impressed by them holding hands while telling me how they had worked together on the lovely needlepoint picture they showed me. She died the following year and he, sick with loneliness, died a year later.

From Dana:

Both of my Great Aunts lived to 91. They were the oldest ever in our family where the average age of passing seems to be 66.  I put it down to having LOVE and SUPPORT when they needed it and a sense of humour. Auntie always said it was her Mum's stodgy puddings.  Or, it could be that I gave them some crystals that had healing properties one year at Christmas.  Aunty swore that they worked!


From Susan:
I had a grandfather who lived to 95! 
I think he lived so long because he had a great sense of humour and loved to golf.
He played golf until the very last year of his life!

Grey Tsunami letter writer

Hi All,
To date I have had over 3,000 hits on my blog!  No, it isn't my mother visiting the site time and time again. I really do have regular readers like YOU (okay, and my Mom!) and thanks for keeping me doing what I like doing.

 To celebrate, I am encouraging you to write to me and elaborate on the life of someone you knew personally who lived to be a ripe old age. Probably because they ...(finish this sentence or add to it)
For example:  "My Aunt Elsie lived to the age of 96 because she never had any stress in her life."
I will choose a winner and send chocolate. You can either write to me in the comment section below this blog entry or you can write to me at: makingdyingfun@gmail.com  When I pick a winner, I will write to you and get your mailing address.

Bill was one of the winners of my last contest.  He posted one of my favorite responses to my request for readers to put together a virtual list of things they would take into their twilight years.  If you look back through my installments, you'll see that I had posted my own Grey Tsunami kit bag items.

Here's what Bill wrote:

My marbles...all of them.

My baseball glove...for when I start my comeback.

My D-Ribose...a good fatigue beater

Lotsa good movies

An unlimited supply of classical music

A good bike

My journal

The best eyesight I can muster

My skateboard

And, if allowed, my wish list:

a heart pure, on fire and wide as the world

joy as deep and abiding as the ocean

a spirit with two good wings

enthusiasm beyond measure

unlimited energy and muscles that don't atrophy

a keen-sighted soul and ears that hear

a sense of drama as I journey through act 3

absolute sincerity

endless curiosity and

my wife...without whom I would have no anchor.

Well I came up with more that anticipated. Could even add a bunch more, but hey, let's leave it at that, it was fun, thanks for the opportunity to participate. And, oh yes...I'd probably pack a load of art supplies including a large roll of rice paper, some black ink and a set of Chinese brushes.

Love ya Gail,

Bill

NOTE FROM GAIL:  If you are entering my new contest and writing about how your friend/relative lived to be a ripe ol' age, you don't need to stress about how many words you need to write. It can just be one sentence or one paragraph.  Good luck!

A Reader Sends Me Her Top Ten

Mrs. W. wrote to me after reading my article on SuperAgers:

Hi Gail,
Thanks for the report, I too think I am a SuperAger and I think the major benefit is who you had for parents. That said, I do not just sit around and enjoy my genes!

1)  I refuse ALL prescription drugs

2)  I take an unbelievable amount of supplements. In 1992, I responded to an offer in the mail. It was Dr. Julian Whitaker's Health Letter. I cut out many articles and only recently let my subscription lapse after 20 years of wonderful direction.

3) I did Aqua Fit until I got rid of my car. I find walking for my needs I seem to have less need for regular adjustments at the chiropractor.  I don't do a regular walk, just to do my regular living as a person does with their car.  I do a minimum work out in the bathroom most mornings with stretches and two pound weights.

4) I was doing crosswords and Sudoku daily. It forces me to stay at the table until I have finished my breakfast.  Lately I'm taking a break from that, but I did find it fun.

5) I do a modest amount of volunteerism.  Volunteering is good for your heart!

6) I no longer watch the news.

7) I laugh a lot, especially when playing games (Cribbage every Tuesday and Carpet Bowling on Friday)

8) I was interviewed for a study on healthy ageing. My name was chosen randomly by BC Health

9) I do a lot of creative sewing and knitting.

10) Every morning I have coffee in bed at 6am, then I read and then I meditate (not the kind where you empty your mind but where you go with the flow) and several times a day I pray (once again not someone else's printed formula but my own one to one chat with the Top Gun)

I am 82 years now and on my 89th birthday I plan to stop buying supplements and let them run out.  My mom was buried on her 90th birthday. Sounds good to me. 

Oh and one more thing: I don't buy organic but I would if I was still cooking for kids.  I do like to eat lots raw.

Good Ol' Bessie Cooper!

Bessie Cooper turned 116 recently!! I don't know her personally but I wish I did.  Here's her fabulous picture and caption.

Bessie Cooper, age 116: ‘I mind my own business. And I don’t eat junk food’

Bessie Cooper, age 116: ‘I mind my own business. And I don’t eat junk food’

click on this blue writing and you will see photo and article

Here's a new website.  Linda Popov has a new baby! It's her recently published book "Graceful Endings"
www.gracefulendings.net

To See or Not to See

When grandparents are living in a care home it can sometimes be difficult to persuade the grandchildren to pay them a visit. We know that the elderly forget names and faces and occasionally they show disinterest in the young ones.  It's hard to convince the kids that it's nothing they've done that has taken the smile off of Grandma or Grandpa's face.

More often though visitors to care homes be they young or old are greeted with extreme delight. Eyes become brighter, body language becomes younger as they sit up straighter to show an obvious interest in their guests.

It's human nature to want to remember someone in their best form, choosing to have an image of health and vitality etched into the mind. Opting to stop visits because it makes us too sad to see our loved one frail and aging, while understandable, can often result in guilt.

Here are age appropriate ways to make your visits as pleasant as possible.  Explain to little children before you enter that we need to use our soft indoor voices so as not to startle the other grandparents who live there. Tell them that there may be a few smells they don't like but that they should try to keep smiling.

If possible, bring your loved one to a sun room or den or if the weather permits, to a garden for more of a private visit. That way it takes your little visitors away from the areas that may have unpleasant odors.

Enjoying ice cream or cookies with Granny can be a good memory maker and make her smile but find out in advance if there are any dietary restrictions and follow accordingly.  There may be swallowing problems or diabetes present so please check with the nurse or care aid.

Plan ahead of time to bring a photo album or coach the kids about reading for them or singing for them and explain that this will make Grandpa's heart happier.

Remember,even if our loved one's body and mind are deteriorating, and no matter how hesitant kids are to visit, and this goes for yourself as well, their soul is intact and will be refreshed and gladdened by your love and attention.

Send me your ideas and stories about how you have made visits special and I will publish them.