But the passing of Olivia Patricia Thomas is actually quite extraordinary. At 114 years old, the supercentarian was believed to be the oldest person born in this country and the third-oldest person in the world. The oldest person in the world, Kama Chinen, resides in Japan and was born just shy of two months before Thomas.
The very idea that these women are living or have lived well into their one-hundreds awes me. It is humbling to think of all the changes they've witnessed -- politically, medically, technologically, culturally. As my own grandmother, now 101, once said when asked if the greatest invention of her time was cell phones, televisions, or cars, "No, honey, the greatest invention of my time is electricity."
That perspective is critical for those of us who marvel over the differences between a 3G and 3Gs phone or the fact that there are generations who think vinyl records are simply big CDs. In comparison, we've seen so little.
That said, living 114 years can't always be amazing or even appealing. Once a feisty, active lady, my grandmother is no longer lucid, living in the depths of Alzheimer's in a nursing home. Her body somehow thrives while her brain is somewhere mid-1900s. She's forgotten how to walk, feed herself, or who any of loved ones are who are still living. Years ago, she explicitly told us that her biggest fear was that her body would outlive her mind. And here she is.
I love my grandmother and it continues to be a great gift to hold her hand, sing her songs, and even to hear her voice as she struggles to figure out who I am. I don't want to lose her and I hate to see her spending the last chapter of her life in a bed in a nursing home. I can't help but think that, after a very full and long life, it will be rather merciful when her body does finally give in.
Growing up, I wanted to live forever. And if not forever, then to be a very, very old lady. Maybe even to be one of the oldest people in the world. That wish has changed in the years that have swallowed up my grandmother's vibrant life, and I wonder how much time on this planet we really do need to see.
Without knowing the particulars of Olivia Patricia Thomas' last days or of her death, I honor all of her 114 years. Maybe I don't need to strive to live that long, but rather, try to pack a supercentarian's life into less time.
Supercentarian or less than that?: If it was within your own control, how long would you really want to live?
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