Centenarians: 100 years old and going strong

For those of you who missed the Centenarian Luncheon at Drexelbrook last week, we got good news for you. Channel 10 was there and covered the story. To watch a video of the luncheon click HERE. Like every year before it, the 2011 Centenarian Luncheon was once again a wonderful event that honored our 100 and over year old residents of Delaware County.

Some of the attendees have attended for a couple of years and are still going strong. Many of the attendees have some physical challenges but then there are a few who are in great physical health and you would never guess he or she was 100 or older. I hear taking care of your body, eating right and keeping stress low is good way to live a healthy life. If that is the case I probably won't make 100. Our lives are so busy with so much stimulation and so many places to be with so much to do that we are stressing our physical bodies in a way that our older generation did not.

The older generations worked using their bodies. They built the railroads, they laid bricks to build schools, they carried lumber and they sewed clothes. They used their brains to figure out how to improve their lives not to run their lives. Now our cell phones and our I-pads run our lives. They keep our schedules to drive, not walk our kid to soccer, they tell us where we can find the local fast food joint instead of having family meals home cooked and they give us access to our loved ones in video and written form so that don't have to visit in person. All conveniences that affect how much exercise and actual physical work our bodies do.

Centenarians are strong both in spirit and physically. This was evident in not only their drive to get to the luncheon but to stand or sit for pictures with their families and participate in the luncheon. There is nothing more wonderful than to walk out in the entry and see a mother who is over 100 sitting in a chair with all five of her grown children behind her for a picture. We thank these pioneers of Delaware County. We thank them for their contributions to our county and to our lives.