＃181：ABOUT BEING ONE HUNDRED
「100歳になるまであと何年？」
メリーアンさんは「100歳になるには自分はまだ若すぎる。でも、100歳になった時に若い人達の質問に答える用意が出来ている。」と100歳になるのを楽しみにしています。
歩くことが出来ず、ベットの上の生活が続いていますが、それでも希望を捨てずにリハビリに頑張っています。
昔の人々の若いころは、日本でもアメリカでも良い教育を受けることが困難で、低賃金の職業でさえ、就くことも大変でした。でも、いつの時代も頑張ったもの勝ちですね。メリーアンさんと一緒に頑張りましょう！そして、自分の目で100年の時代の変化を見ていきましょう！
To My Readers,
It is a joy to be back with you and writing a new Blog for you. I know the waiting for it has been long and I am sorry. I hope that you will forgive me for the wait. I hope you will enjoy the Blog ( # 181 ).
BLOG # 181 : ABOUT BEING ONE HUNDRED
My Dear Ones, I want you to know that I’ve been thinking. A lot. So I have a question for you.
Do you know anyone who is a Centenarian? For some reason unknown to me, I might think that you do.
As for me, your adorable Mary Ann-san, I am not quite there yet. I am still young yet. But in 26 years, I will be one hundred. I know that twenty-six years seems like a long time — and I guess it is. For now it is. I can wait.. Besides, I am pretty sure, at least I am hoping, that I just might have a chance of making it to one hundred. My late Grandmother, my late Mother’s Mom, lived until age 89.
The thing is, I am waiting for that chance to be a hundred because when you’re a hundred years old, the NEWS people always come and ask you a bunch of questions. Especially the one about what changes you’ve seen over the Century since you’ve turned one hundred years old.
And I am ready. I can tell them my answer right now even though I have that twenty-six year wait.
First of all, I feel that I have not only lived my life and seen changes, but my own life as well.
In my late Husband’s time, things weren’t like they are today. My late husband had to quit school in the eighth grade to help out the family. I think you know what I mean by this. When he worked, he worked hard. He stood in long lines every day hoping to get chosen for jobs. In his time, money went a long way. A DOLLAR went a long way at that time. Back then, if you had 25 cents on you, you could get a full meal for 15 cents along with all the condiments and pickles you wanted. You could go to the movies for 10 cents
— a single dime. This is what he told me. And like I said, he worked hard for the money he got. A lot of the time he worked in Construction. In 1938, the minimum wage for construction for an adult male was 25 cents an hour. My late husband had a hard life and went though a lot and he wouldn’t be 21 until 1938 — eleven years before I was born. We met when I was 26, ten days before his fifty-eighth Birthday.
Are you shocked? Surprised?
About me: When I was born, I weighed a mere two pounds and 13 ounces.
I guess you could say I had a sort of rough life. Both my late parents were
alcoholics (I’m not). I got my first job here in the islands. But got my first real
job here on the Big Island packing papayas.
As to changes throughout the years, I grew up with T.V. Black and White. We
were the first family on our block to get a Color T.V. set and of course
everyone had to come over to see it. It was a thing to be proud of if I do say
so. I grew up using a manual typewriter when I wanted to write stories and
then later on, I used an electric one. I liked the manual one better though
because it was easier for me to use.
Later on, when I was still working and also helping tutor children from other
countries, I was introduced to my first computer. Of course I had never seen
one before but I knew what it is but not how to use it. I was taught one
afternoon by my Godmother’s daughter who asked me if I knew what it was I
was looking at and I said yes. Then she asked me if I knew how to type. I told
her that I go as far back as the manual typewriter so, yes, I knew how to
type. So at the time, the computer was the newest thing that I now love to
play with and enjoy.
I have no idea what other changes are in store for me, but I like forward to
them all. And I am glad to be alive still.
But oh to be a hundred !
I can’t wait !
I remain happily yours,
Mary Ann-san
