Secrets to living to 100 years old

Secrets to living to 100 years old... interested in knowing what that secret is?  Read on for more information.

Is living to 1oo years old a goal you have?  Know you have more in common with my grandmother than you may think then because her goal has been to live to 100, and guess what?  She turns 100 years old today!    

Rosezella 

So you are interested in knowing how to live to 100 years old?  A century, a lifetime?  Such a long measure of time.  My husband and I have discussed this at length many times over.  Well, first you may be thinking what do you know about living to 100 years old Cara?  You are not even close to that age.  My answer would be correct you are, but my grandmother, Rosezella turns 100 today!  

Hard to believe, I know!  My husband says he is going to write a book about her.  He says it will be her secret to living to 100 which would include: never getting her drivers license since he swears this takes years off our lives.  Stressful drives to and from work?  Yep, takes time off our lives, or at least that is what he would tell you.  

Although my grandma can tell you how to get to about anywhere in Ohio, she has never been behind the wheel of a car.  Geography is where she thrives, she can tell you where most places are located all over the world.  I cannot say the same thing, so I definitely did not inherit this talent from her.    

Do you know I offered to teach her how to drive a car?  She chuckled about it and said maybe one of these days...

Glorious by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, video below is what I always envisioned when we would try our great adventure.  Of course, she never took me up on my offer to get behind the wheel and learn how to drive, but it was fun thinking about the possibilities and how it would all play out.  She always relied on my grandfather until he passed, and then the rest of the family picked up where he left off. 

I have asked her why she never learned to drive.  She replied, she never had the need to drive.  I am thinking it would have come in handy when she lived in the country and my grandpa worked out of town, but she just never saw the point of it.  Can you imagine that?  I cannot say I can.  

My husband would tell you his next suggestion to living to 100 according to Rosezella is to eat all of the sugar you want in the world!  Yes, my grandmother over the years has probably consumed more sugar than a grocery store can stock in a year.  She has always loved what she called her "sweets".  I have shared with you how the holidays always looked, but I do not think I mentioned there was always some kind of sugar in her home at ALL times throughout my entire life.  

She would make fudge, cakes, candies, pies, cookies, anything she could make to use all of the ingredients in her kitchen up.  Her peanut butter fudge was always my favorite, and angel food cakes were always made for each birthday.  

I smirk when I think back to my grandparents and how they would always argue over who ate the last piece of fudge, always blaming the other for it being gone.  Some days I wanted to say why are you always having a discussion about this?  You both know she will make more!  There was a never ending supply of goodies at Grandma's house.  

I often wondered if it was their way of showing the other they cared.  I know, odd way of showing it, but I really think my grandpa got a kick out of ruffling her feathers so to speak.  He would always say, don't you see it?  I would ask, see what?  He would comment the halo over her head.  I still laugh to this day when I think about him making that comment.  

Despite their quarrels, you can see they loved each other very much.  This photo was taken when my grandfather was home on leave from the Army.  Do you know her baked goods made it all the way to Germany when he was there?  She would bake his favorite cookies and send them to him as often as she could.

In case you did not notice, the photo of my grandmother at the top says with love, Rosezella. This is a photo she sent to him while he was fighting in the war.  It is amazing how much times have changed from then to now.  Most everything happens online these days and you can speak to your loved ones from afar through video chat.  

 

My grandmother also was a stay at home wife like so many from her generation, and so my husband is convinced this is the last piece of the pie since she did not have the work stresses we have today.  There was no technology to keep in constant contact with work.  When your day was complete, you were finished for the day, until tomorrow.

  

I always loved this photo since my grandpa's coat and hat are on the sofa and she is sprawled out reading the newspaper.  He always wore a hat like that when it was cold outside.  My grandma laying on the couch reading the paper, wearing a skirt?  What?  I do not think I have ever seen my grandma wear a skirt in my entire life.  

I always meant to ask her about this since she would have been cooking and cleaning in this attire, and honestly, I cannot imagine it.  Also, her shoes are off, and she has never walked around barefoot.  I love barefoot, and she would always comment to me, one of these days you will wish you had your shoes on girl!  It always ended in me laughing and saying no way Grandma!  I love barefeet!  

Growing up, I visited my grandparents nearly everyday.  My mother was a stay at home mom until I was 15 years old, so many days were spent visiting.  Meals were shared, baked goods made, canning from the gardens completed, many hours spent watching the train go round the tracks in their basement with my grandpa, me wearing my conductor hat, and hours upon hours listening to stories told time and time again.  Oh, how I miss those days.   

My grandmother is one of those individuals who makes you chuckle to yourself with some of the things she comes up with.  When you may think she is being "cheeky" and look at her, and then you will realize she is not at all, she is just speaking her truth. 

I cannot tell you how many times my mother has gotten annoyed with her over the years because she tends to overshare with people.  Standing in the line at the grocery?  She will strike up a conversation with whoever is standing next to her and tell them whatever is on her mind.  You just never know what will come out of her mouth is the issue.  

When I would take her out and about, I would just shake my head and laugh.  She always finds a way in telling everyone she meets her age.  Her doctor's have commented for years she never looked her age, and let me tell you, she thrived on those comments when she heard that information.  

This is the lady who saw they were selling silky pillowcase covers on television to help in reducing wrinkles from sleeping on regular pillowcases.  Since she did not have a credit card to order these sheik pillowcases, she decided to make her own.  How you ask?  She pulled out an old silky nightgown from her closet and got to work sewing a pillowcase.  You have no idea the kick we got out of that stunt.  See what I mean, you have no idea what she will come up with.

Nearly 25 years ago when my grandfather passed, we thought my grandmother would not live for very long after losing him.  He took care of everything in the household, and we thought she would just give up.  Turns out, this lady has more spunk than any of us would know.

Of course, when you think about it, she lived through the Great Depression, WWII, President Kennedy being shot, The Holocaust, Pearl Harbor, Vietnam War, first man in space, amongst other great events throughout history over the last 100 years.  Hard to believe one person could live during all of these events in time.

Looking back, you see how happy folks were then and they did not have large fancy homes, closets full of clothes, several cars, and all of the other things in life society thinks we need now.  

They made do with what they had, and were happy about it.  I really think we could learn a thing or two about previous generations.  Their generation has lived the longest than any other generation, maybe they know more than we do.  

Their generation had small homes where everyone had to live close to each other under one roof and get along, or at least you did not have the option of staying angry with one and another for very long since you had to share rooms, bathrooms, etc...  They sat on the front porch and spoke with their neighbors, life was just so much more simple in those times.  

You purchased one home, and lived there until you either passed away, or could no longer live there.  She does not get why folks keep buying and selling homes.  She says she made a life there and lived in her home alone until she was 98 years old.  

She cooked, and baked, and cleaned up until that point.  Some days she really amazes me.  Of course, she has always left all of the major decisions up to the family since my grandpa passed away, but taking care of the day to day things on her own was impressive in my eyes.    

She began having surgeries in her 90's.  She survived colon cancer, knee replacements of both knees, and then needing to have one knee replaced twice due to an issue with the first knee replacement... she was the oldest of five children, outliving all of her siblings... talk about one tough cookie.  

And there, you just may have your answer, one tough cookie.  Sometimes you just need to get in the saddle, and ride it out in life, don't let life pass you by.  Live the days, not the years.  Live each one as the precious gift that life is.  Don't have regrets, think through problems before you act, sometimes those actions can really affect your life, and when life gets messy, keep trucking along.  Be kind to others, don't give up even through the darkest of days, know there is always someone that is routing for you.  We can all be each other's cheerleaders, right?  Sometimes we need that in life, so what have I learned from my grandma?  Everything I just shared with you, and maybe, just maybe, we can all live to 100 years old like Rosezella.  Happy Birthday Grandma!  

Grandma and her 2 sisters

Must be where I get my love of dogs, great grandpa on the right

My great grandparents, my grandparents, and her siblings & their children

My great grandparents, my grandmother is the dark haired 

Great grandpa on the right

 

Grandma, 91 years old