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| Judith Ashley |
If I live to be 103 years of age I’ll have reached the same age as my maternal aunt, Helen. She is a remarkable woman, living in her own apartment with Callie, her dog. Her daughter and granddaughter live nearby and check on her every day.
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When I visited with her the end of July, she told me that she has chores she’s assigned herself. She makes her own bed every day and washes up her dishes. She also fixes something simple for breakfast and fancies up her daily delivery from Meals On Wheels.
????????????????????No longer driving due, in part, to failing eyesight, she still knits T-shirts for a Church project, listens to the news, and keeps up with reading Reader’s Digest Condensed Books along with correspondence from family and friends. Her apartment is up a flight of stairs and she managed to go up and down them as well, if not better than I did.
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| Aunt Helen
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I’ve always thought I wanted to live to be 103 and if that happens, I want to be like my aunt!
If you were to live to be 100 (or 103) would that be a good thing or not?
What would be the best part of living that long?
Wow – she is still living at home. That is amazing. I wouldn't mind living that long, but only if God grants me wisdom in my choices – stay at home, go to a home, etc. I've seen far too many elderly people believe they can still be self-sufficient when they truly cannot. They wait until something awful befalls them and they are forced to go to a home. I want to make the choice for myself while I am still cognizant and capable.
I agree, Tam. Helen has family close by but is truly in charge of her life. Also, in my work with seniors and people with disabilities I see people making the choice to live on their own and refuse services and help and something awful does happen and the choice is taken from them. I hope I've the wisdom to know when it is time to accept help if offered even if I don't have the wisdom to ask for it.
I believe my mother-in-law will out live everyone! But If I could make it to 100 and still be as fit as your aunt I'd be happy as long as when I went it was in my sleep and after being incapacitated for a long period.
You have great health to look forward to!
Going to sleep and not waking up is my ideal way of dying. My maternal grandfather went that way.
Helen wears glasses and hearing aides but her mind is sharp.
I look back on what has transpired in my shorter life time and see the amazing things that have happened. I'm looking forward to bearing witness to what comes next.
Ever since I was a little girl, I've said I want to live to be 100. It's like time travel, when you think about it. I hope I can stay in good health that long.