What’s Your Number?

When you think of your own longevity what age are you aiming for?  When we were a younger version of ourselves we might have quickly tossed out 80 maybe 85 years.  After all those were our grandparents age and they were really old!  I don’t know about you, but 80/85 isn’t looking too old anymore. In fact it looks more like right around the corner, yikes.  

 My sister,  Marilyn, always thought 90 was a good age to aim for.  She celebrated her 90th birthday last December, it’s not surprising she has changed her tune, she’s thinking 95 is a good number.

I’m sure part of her thinking comes from the folks she has surrounded herself with in senior living.  Four years ago, Marilyn was welcomed to Fellowship Square independent living, by the ‘Welcome Lady’ .  Madeline brought Marilyn the welcome packet filled with goodies and of course, coupons, they visited a bit and Madeline moseyed on her way.  She was 96 at the time. 

Marilyn participates in lots of activities at her new home, balloon volleyball, shuffleboard, bean bag toss, and one of her favorites, Wii bowling.  Twice a week our phone calls include a discussion on her bowling prowess and how well she scored.  Last week Marilyn bowled pretty well, but was soundly beaten when her friend, Margaret, racked up a score of 649 for three games.  Margaret will be 100 in June, yes, she uses a walker and has a bit of trouble hearing (she doesn’t want to spend the money to upgrade her hearing aids, after all, she may need that money for something else.)  Apparently the ‘how long will the money last’ problem is still around even at 100.  

The Square’s monthly newsletter lists ‘big’ birthdays and anything under 100 doesn’t even make the news.  This month there was a 103, 104 and a kid at 101.  Remember this is independent living not assisted or nursing care.  You gotta admire these folks, and maybe we need to rethink these longevity numbers.    

I recently read about Madam Jeanne Louise Calment who had the longest confirmed human lifespan: 122 years, 164 days. Apparently, fate strongly approved of the way she lived her life. She was born in Arles, France, on February 21, 1875. The Eiffel Tower was built when she was 14 years old. It was at this time she met Vincent van Gogh. “He was dirty, badly dressed, and disagreeable,” she recalled in an interview given in 1988. 

When Jeanne was 85, she took up fencing, and still rode her bike when she reached 100. At the age of 114, she starred in a film about her life, at age 115 she had an operation on her hip, and at age 117 she gave up smoking. She didn’t give it up for health reasons; her reason was that she didn’t like having to ask someone to help her light a cigarette once she couldn’t see very well. 

Madam Calment was married to Fernand Calment, they had one daughter Yvonne and one grandson.  She has outlived all of them.  

In 1965, Jeanne was 90 years old and had no heirs. She signed a deal to sell her apartment to a 47-year-old lawyer, André-François Raffray. He agreed to pay her a monthly sum of 2,500 francs on the condition he would inherit her apartment after she died. However, Raffray not only ended up paying Jeanne for 30 years, but then died before she did at the age of 77. His widow was legally obliged to continue paying Madam Calment until the end of her days. 

Jeanne retained sharp mental faculties and a sense of humor. When she was asked on her 120th birthday what kind of future she expected to have. Her reply, “A very short one.” 

Here are the Rules of Life from Jeanne Louise Calment: 

“I’m in love with wine.” 

“All babies are beautiful.” 

“I think I will die of laughter.”

“I’ve been forgotten by our Good Lord.” 

“I’ve got only one wrinkle, and I’m sitting on it.” 

“I never wear mascara; I laugh until I cry often.” 

“If you can’t change something, don’t worry about it.”

“Always keep your smile. That’s how I explain my long life.” 

“I see badly, I hear badly, and I feel bad, but everything’s fine.” 

“I have a huge desire to live and a big appetite, especially for sweets.” 

“I have legs of iron, but to tell you the truth, they’re starting to rust and buckle a bit.” 

“I took pleasure when I could. I acted clearly and morally and without regret. I’m very lucky.”

“Being young is a state of mind, it doesn’t depend on one’s body. I’m actually still a young girl, it’s just that I haven’t looked so good for the past 70 years.”

At the end of one interview, the journalist said, “Madame, I hope we will meet again sometime next year.” To which Jeanne replied, “Why not? You’re not that old; you’ll still be here!”