The world’s oldest man died this week after just a week of
holding that title. The Puerto Rico resident was 115. It appears
the burden of his new-found fame was just too much for him.
A week before that, the world’s oldest woman went to her eternal
reward at the age of 116.
The world’s oldest man died this week after just a week of holding that title. The Puerto Rico resident was 115. It appears the burden of his new-found fame was just too much for him.
A week before that, the world’s oldest woman went to her eternal reward at the age of 116.
Now a spry 114-year-old Connecticut woman is officially recognized as the world’s oldest person. She was born in 1892, back when Benjamin Harrison was president – just a decade before the city of Hollister was incorporated.
She’s a rookie, but by all accounts she seems ready to keep the throne for at least a year or two.
I’m not sure I want to live to 100. If I were healthy and active, then sure, I’d want to hang around as long as possible. If my loved ones were still around, that would make it even better because they could drive me to appointments and pat me on the head when I say something funny about the “old days” in the early 21st century.
“I remember when gas cost $2.75 a gallon and you could buy a house for $750,000,” I might say. “Sure, we only had 185 channels on the television, but we didn’t need more than that and we didn’t know any better. Back then, the sewer moratorium was just about to be lifted, we thought. Who would have guessed it would still be in effect in 2069?”
I like the idea of being called a centenarian. It sounds regal, like you’re the member of an elite sect or line of royalty. It would be cool to get my picture in the paper – or whatever passes for paper in the future – trying to blow out 100 candles on my cake.
My dad is more than two-thirds of the way there and my mom is – to be kind, more than halfway there after celebrating a birthday yesterday.
In three weeks I will have made it 38 percent of the way to the big 1-0-0. That means I’ve got to make it through another six decades and two years of earthquakes, my love of pudding, artificial sweetener in my iced tea, aversion to attending the gym on a regular basis, and the global war on terror.
I’ll need luck on my side to make it that far.
One of my grandfathers lived a long life despite smoking Winston cigarettes for 70 years, rinsing paint off his hands with gasoline (while smoking), and loving ice cream and buttermilk. I’ve seen none of those habits recommended on “The Biggest Loser” or “Oprah Winfrey,” so it seems some of us are just destined to be around for a while regardless of how we treat ourselves.
Doing more investigation into my projected longevity, I visited livingto100.com yesterday, filled out a questionnaire (which felt like it took a century to complete), and was told that I could expect to live to 82 if I maintain my current lifestyle habits.
That would put me a full 18 years short of my goal, so I need to make sure I stay stress-free (weekly column deadlines notwithstanding); stay optimistic (yes, the Niners, Giants, or Warriors will be respectable again one day), and floss my teeth (studies show lack of flossing may lead to heart disease – maybe if you were trying to dislodge a pork loin from your teeth).
Living a long life would mean seeing my children grow old enough to throw “Because I said so” around to their own children. If I reach 100, I will have gotten senior discounts at restaurants for nearly 40 years – think of the savings!
But enough of this looking to the future. Too many of us worry too much about what life will be like rather than enjoying the life we have now.
I want to be around a long time, but in the meantime, it’s best to live in the moment, for it will be gone too soon.
Adam Breen teaches journalism and yearbook at San Benito High School. He was editor of The Free Lance about 100 years ago.
