Living to a century is always an achievement, but it's becoming more and more frequent. Quebec has more than 3,600 centenarians. 45,000 within 40 years.
According to Yoland Sirard, leisure manager at Cité Rive, centenarians, against all odds, usually have the wisdom to live in the present moment.
“They're living everyday. That's what we don't do. They're in the present moment. The present is a gift, a gift moment, and when they say one more day, one more month, one more year, I think that's their secret. They don't talk about the past, They are in the present, strangely,” he explains.
Composer Pierre-Olivier Zappa visited three centenarians who applied this philosophy to the letter.
100-year-old Pauline Morissette, 102-year-old Fernand Brunet, 100-year-old Jean-Maurice Marchand all face the challenges of old age.
Despite his 100 years, Mr. Marchand was particularly active. For example, he doesn't hesitate to wear giblets when playing bowling with his friends.
“I don't know,” he replies when Pierre-Olivier wants to know the secret of his great form. “I'd have to ask someone older than me,” he jokes.
Since his mother sadly died at the age of 30 and his father died at the age of 65, Mr. Marchant assures.
Pauline Morissette, for her part, has not been stingy when it comes to allowing herself to reach 100 years.
“I'm going to make baked potatoes. I'm a butter freak. That's why I'm 100 years old, and I eat fat,” she says.
To combat loneliness, Ms. Morissette advises to “live in the present moment and love it.”
Fernand assures the brunette that there is no time to be bored because there is so much to do.
“I always have to think about what I'm going to do. I'm going to take this thing, that thing,” he exemplifies, always planning ahead.
Listen to Pierre-Olivier Zappa's full statement in the video at the beginning of the article.
