Young spirit...?👵👴✌

Oh yeah! That is what the 68 year old woman who lives two blocks from my house has. You know She follows fashion to the letter; If the designers say "miniskirt!", the white haired lady doesn't think twice and buys a miniskirt, no less than a bright magenta shade. And not only does she wear it in the privacy of her home, but she ventures to the park and to the movies wearing such an outfit. I understand that the behavior of this lady must seem somewhat extravagant, crazy or sickly. After all, who has seen an "old woman" go around dressed as if she belonged to one of those exorbitant punk groups?

Well, I will tell you that, at first, I thought like you. It seemed to me that the lady was going far beyond the ridiculous, that she should behave in accordance with her age. But I started to think about what her life would be like if she followed the social canons. According to what our society has called "appropriate", it was necessary for the grandmother to tame her youthful or bizarre tastes, as you prefer to dress in gray or black suits (she was widowed 4 years ago). Likewise, it would require that she put aside her incredible enthusiasm and vitality, and settle for vegetating in an armchair, knitting and watching television.

The truth is that the idea gave me chills, so I decided to chat with Grandma. Upon arriving at her house (I had never been there), I found a clean and well-groomed home. Despite everything being "in its place", the environment was charged with life and warmth. Decidedly, this place reflected the tireless spirit of the lady.

When I explained the nature of my visit merely out of curiosity, the woman laughed happily, as few people usually do anymore. "Don't think you're surprising me. There are many people who think I'm a little crazy. What happens is that no one understands my way of being."

Almost a miss universe! Before I could ask her what that way of being was, my grandmother bought me a soda. "What do you prefer, a soda or a lemonade? I don't offer you a soda: I'm not used to drinking them." I opted for the lemonade. As she rose from her chair, I took a careful look at her body.

Note that the lady was undoubtedly kept in top physical condition. And it is that, except for her white hair, no one would say that she was already 68 years old, she barely had wrinkles on her face and had a smooth complexion. Not even her arms and legs showed the usual signs of time. Of course, I would not win the Miss Universe pageant but I had no doubt that this woman had a more attractive and cared body than many young women today.

I could also observe that he moved with surprising agility and dexterity, so I imagined that he would be following an exercise regimen or playing a sport. When I told him about it, he replied: "Every morning when I get up, I try to dedicate 10 minutes to the exercises. Nothing complicated, you know, I am no longer in a position to be stretching my muscles. But I try to stay agile: I have followed this same plan since 41 years.

It was then that I discovered that I was neglecting my body, that I was not making the most of its ability to move. "Those last sentences made me feel guilty; being much younger (more than 30 years) than Grandma, I always try to do the as little effort as possible ... and let's not talk about exercises! "Of course, housework helps a lot.

Even though I live alone, this house gets dirty and someone has to clean it. Oh yeah! I forgot the visits of my grandchildren; I am 5, between two and 15 years old. You can imagine the fuss they make when they come. If they go to the garden and they don't stop running around all day. And of course, they always require the participation of their grandmother so almost every weekend you will see me playing soccer, climbing trees or, simply and simply, chasing those little devils. "Wow, all this activity was wearing me out! So I decided change the subject: food. After all, he had come to visit her to find out how she was staying so enthusiastic and youthful. And what aspect was more important than diet? Who knows! She may have discovered some exotic fruit that give him so much energy and vigor.

I have to confess with all the pain in my soul that it was a real disappointment to hear her say that her only secret was to eat healthy foods, low in salt, sugar and fat. And avoid modern additives that, according to her, only made digestion more difficult. Well, my 007-type investigation was not yielding spectacular results so far. It was time to change the perspective of our conversation.

A "cheap" philosophy or the secret of happiness?

I'm sure Grandma had already guessed the reason behind my visit and was thoroughly enjoying herself as she watched me proceed with it. Not only did she answer my questions in great detail, but she offered me, without my asking, some very intimate information about her life, about things that I would never have dared to mention. It is worth telling you that we were chatting for long hours, mostly about her two sons, their wives, and the "devils before we got to the key point: the inexhaustible source of her young spirit."

It all started when I let her know that I admired her desire to live and to enjoy everything around her. Smiling, he commented: "I wish it had been like this since my youth. There have been so many beautiful things that I have missed!for not realizing that life is cruel enough to see it negatively, as I did before. "

He couldn't believe what he was hearing! This cheerful and optimistic woman was, at one time, a major brand pessimist. I couldn't contain myself and asked her: "But, grandmother, how did you change your way of seeing life? I see you as so optimistic, so enthusiastic, that it is almost impossible for me to imagine you otherwise.

For a few moments, her face was saddened; suddenly0, it lit up again

the look and continued with the explanation. You see, pretty; most human beings live the wrong way. From a very young age they adopt a certain philosophy of life, which generally prevents them from enjoying everything good, everything wonderful that it can offer us. And, no matter what they tell me or how much suffering they have to go through, there are an infinity of beautiful things that we miss. As I am no exception to the rule, this happened to me

me too.

"In general, I do not complain, because everything has changed. More, what I regret is having wasted so much time. My parents raised me as was customary at that time; certain behavioral guidelines had to be followed and, given the circumstances in that we lived, did not awaken in me the desire to discover what surrounded me. That is, I was satisfied with what arose. I could even say that I was somewhat indifferent to everything. "

As the lady spoke, my admiration grew. "I married very young to an exceptional man, Roberto, but he was as' conservative as I was. That is, I left a semi-static environment to enter another similar one. Our life became something like a routine: he was leaving to the hardware store to work and I

I was locked between the four walls of my house. The situation changed somewhat when my son was born, imagine, we had been married for almost five years and the first-born, as Roberto's father used to call him, came to fill us with

joys. However, after the initial enthusiasm, everything resumed its march.

I looked after the house and the little one, and my husband worked non-stop. "That was when I interrupted him" But didn't they have some kind of social life? Didn't they go out to visit friends or on vacation?

"We tried to do it once, when Roberto was doing well at the hardware store. My mother's death spoiled the plans and we began to postpone them indefinitely. Then Humberto came and everything got complicated. Now that I think about it, despite the fact that our financial situation she was unburdened, we never knew how to put aside the rhythm of life we ​​led, to enjoy time together.

"Of course, the boys grew up and I got pregnant for the third time, I was 35 years old when Ernesto was born and my life underwent a drastic change. That child was very special from the beginning and became the center of me,existence, as it grew, it became more attached to me. and I him. Although I loved my other two children dearly, the love I felt for Ernesto was an obsession.

While Mario and Humberto were beginning their college stage, friends and girlfriends, you know, far from home I had my baby. I realized that it was being a bit difficult for him to talk about Ernesto; so I was quick to tell her that I wouldn't mind if she didn't want to continue our conversation. And, although my visit had a specific purpose, it was not my intention to cause you any pain.

Don't think that talking about my son makes me sad. It is quite the opposite, since thanks to Ernesto, I became the person I am today. You know? Although he grew very attached to my skirts, as they would say around there, the boy was an adventurer.

It fascinated him to investigate everything, discover everything, there was not a problem or a moment of sadness. He took advantage of everything. And he never said 'no to anyone, "He was not even reassured when we found out that he was ill and that his illness was incurable. And it was not until the leukemia weakened his body that he formed himself with restricted activity. At the time he died, it was more than 26 years ago. years, he had lived much longer than his older brothers and much longer than his own parents. "

Grandma's face radiated happiness. "After suffering and vegetating for a few months, I remembered what Ernesto had told me months before he died. Noticing my anguish over his illness, he said: 'I don't think you should be sad, Mom. I am not; I have had the opportunity to be with you, to love you and be happy by your side.

What more could you ask for? "

"Those words were enough to get me out of the state I was in. After Ernesto's death, I had been extremely selfish; I was so immersed in my pain that I abandoned my family. Yes, I lost a child; but behind were my husband, Mario and Humberto. Besides, there were the beautiful memories of Ernesto and he had a whole life ahead of him. "

As he continued to explain to me, almost overnight, the grandmother underwent an incredible transformation: she stopped being a heartbroken and in pain, to become the soul of her family.

Since the day she "hatched", both she and Roberto (who was glad seeing his wife's recovery) began to see life differently. Why waste time today, worrying about what will happen tomorrow? You say I have a young spirit, but I would describe it differently. I have a desire to live; I am not satisfied with just existing. And don't think it was a easy process. No! First, I had to determine what I wanted to achieve in the remaining days of my life.

"May I know what it is?" I asked, with a certain fear that I was invading even more such private territory. "Of course I can tell you: I didn't even want to be happy! Just as simple as that. I had a beautiful family and a pleasant life, and yet I hadn't enjoyed it. The most complicated step came when I was forced to trace myself what I called an action plan. '' I would put aside my pessimism, which had accompanied me from the cradle; that is, I would take things as they came. And I would try to take advantage of every opportunity to meet people, places , ideas.

He wanted to absorb it all! And has he succeeded, grandmother? "Well, I think I would be exaggerating if I told you that I have known everything. Ugh! I still have a lot of things to discover and enjoy. I do not think that I had enough time to complete my task. But whatever I have achieved , I have been very happy!

Let's keep the young spirit no matter how old we are! Let's be happy!

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