Fantastic Friday: 100 Years!

I had another post planned for today, but when I learned that yesterday was my great aunt’s 100^th birthday, I knew I had to do something. That’s right: my grandmother’s sister turned 100 years old yesterday. That alone is newsworthy—and, in fact, she was featured in an article here. (Don’t you think everyone who makes it to 100 deserves his or her own article?)

But to think of the differences that have come and gone in the last 100 years amazes me. As the article mentions, when she was born, women didn’t have the right to vote. The world still had two world wars ahead of it.

No one had heard of a cell phone.

Think about how long you’ve been at your current job, or school, or home. What fraction of 100 years has it been? Think of where you were 100 years ago. Were you even a spark in your parents’ eyes? Were your parents even a spark in their parents’ eyes?

I remember reading a few years ago that the first human that will live to be 120 has already been born, and maybe it’s true that we’ll all start living a bit longer sometime soon. I hope with that longevity comes wisdom and perspective to help us understand the magnitude of life and time–and to celebrate it in every way we can.