Comment vivre 100 ans
Province d’Ogliastra, île de la Sardaigne, Italie
Giacobba Lepori, 104 ans
Villagrande, province d’Ogliastra, île de la Sardaigne, Italie
Je m’habille toujours entièrement de noir et je porte un voile noir sur la tête parce que mon mari est mort et que la tradition veut qu’une veuve se vête ainsi. Je ne sais pas ce qui va m’arriver à la fin de ma vie. Personne ne sait, mais je n’ai pas peur de la mort.
Natale Lotto, 88 ans
Villagrande, province d’Ogliastra, île de la Sardaigne, Italie
Comme berger, j’ai toujours été très pauvre et j’ai eu la vie dure. J’ai passé ma vie à marcher dehors, beau temps, mauvais temps, de jour comme de nuit. Comme la plupart des bergers de la Sardaigne, j’ai commencé à travailler très jeune et je n’ai pas eu beaucoup d’éducation, c’est pourquoi il m’est difficile de m’exprimer avec aisance quand les journalistes viennent m’interroger. De plus, je me trouve laid sur les photos, je parais vieux.
Cela dit, je suis plutôt satisfait de ma vie. Chaque matin, je m’occupe de nourrir le bétail; ça me plaît de travailler un peu pour rester occupé. Tant qu’on le peut, il faut continuer à travailler. Aujourd’hui par exemple, j’ai été jardiner. Je cultive de tout : patates, fèves, zucchinis, tomates, tout. Mon jardin nourrit six différents foyers au sein de ma parenté.
Arianne Clément Photography
of the elderly
how to live to 100?
California, United States
Richard Nelson, 99 years old
Loma Linda, California, United States
I was a surgeon and I stopped practicing at the age of 89. I was born in Japan and studied medicine at a Seventh Day Adventist Church university. My years in Tokyo were the most satisfying of my life. My career has allowed me to both contribute positively to society, and to be fulfilled as a human being. I encourage young people to acquire a good education. It is essential to completely realize oneself.
I take care of my health; I am a vegetarian and almost a vegan. I allow myself an ice cream once a week and the rest of the time I eat only healthy food. I also do a lot of stationary cycling and take part in an aerobic exercise group.
Unfortunately, my eyesight has worsened terribly. Since I love to read and stay informed, my wife reads to me every day. She reads me news, religious texts, health articles, biographies, etc. It is important, as one gets older, to stay curious and to nurture one’s mind.
We have a happy marriage Carol Mary and I. To be successful in your marriage, you have to invest fully in the relationship and take an interest in your partner. One of the rules that we established at the beginning of our union, and that I still particularly like today, is this: if one of us is angry, the other must try to keep calm to prevent the situation from becoming toxic. This small effort at emotional control allowed us to defuse all of our conflicts.
Carol Mary Nelson, 97 years old
Loma Linda, California, United States
I like people. I like to sit and watch them. I like to imagine their thoughts and try to identify their personality type. Each person has their own way of walking, their own body language and it’s absolutely fascinating. It must be said that I’m a therapist by profession.
I used to participate in several activities at the Seventh-day Adventist Church seniors’ residence where I live, but lately I prefer to spend all my time with my husband. Since my husband, Richard Nelson, is 99 years old, every minute with him is precious. Every day I tell him that I love him. You have to love your life partner even more than you love yourself and do things out of love and not out of duty.
I pay attention to what I eat because I want to preserve my health as much as possible. I don’t eat sweets; the pleasure of a dose of sugar is nothing compared to the happiness of being healthy.
My worst flaw is impatience. On several occasions I have been impatient with my husband and I still feel guilty about it. In the evening when I go to bed, I take stock of the events of the day and I admonish myself for what I said or did wrong. Religion is very important to me because it gives me a course of action. When I read the Bible, I realize how long is the road that I still must travel, even if I tend to improve. It is important to be tolerant and to love others exactly as they are. We must not slander and we must avoid jealousy, which is very destructive. We must also see the good side of people and things and laugh as much as possible.
Helen Dalgleish, 95 years old
Loma Linda, California, United States
I’m a child of the Great Depression. Unlike many members of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, I’m not from a wealthy family. My father worked illegally here and there all over California. We moved frequently in search of odd jobs in the cotton fields. One day, luckily, we moved to San Bernardino where my father found work with an orange producer. That’s how we discovered the Seventh Day Adventists. The church offered me and my brothers and sisters an education, which allowed us to elevate ourselves in society.
Later on, as my late husband was a doctor, he took on the role of provider for the family. I therefore raised my children without needing to work outside the home. When my children were gone I went to university to study arts. I got my diploma at 49 years old, which is quite unusual.
I had a beautiful marriage which lasted 70 years. Here is my advice to lovers: if you quarrel never go to sleep without settling your differences. Before going to bed, make peace and tell your partner that you love them.
Art takes up a large space in my life. God wants us to take care of our health, and for us to reject everything that does not lift the spirit. Art lifts the spirit. Music, visual arts and literature are examples. Personally I take part in a choir, I write my memoirs, I play piano, I help out with film projections and I would like to get back to painting.
I also go to aerobic exercise and I participate in many meetings and assemblies. I have many friends and am very active on Facebook. I have a boyfriend now. I had a weakness for him the moment he arrived at the Adventists Elders Centre where I live and things have developed. We talk and we hug. I think it is excellent for one’s longevity.
It seems as though earthquakes are more frequent and the planet is warming, bringing all sorts of natural disasters. Perhaps it’s the beginning of the Last Judgement. We, the faithful, believe that at the Last Judgement the Lord and his angels will come down to Earth to save us and take us up to Paradise.