So, while I love Betty White and think she is an awesome comedian–I’m a huge and lifelong fan of Golden Girls!–I’m sort of confused as to all the hoopla surrounding her big 90th birthday. I mean, maybe it’s just because I’m Latina and I’ve grown accustomed to wise cracking viejitas, but we just don’t seem to lose our flavor as we age. Am I right?
I have a firecracker of an abuela. She is hysterical. She will curse you out in 2.2 seconds without a second thought, doles out cocotazos at will and is an incredibly competitive dominos player (seriously, it gets dangerous in my house on Thanksgiving).
This morning in the office we were talking about how some of us were lucky enough to have abuelas who lived into their 100s. I even had the honor of meeting my hubby’s great grandmother before she passed away, and even though she was confined to a bed at the time, her spunk and energy still shone through. My own abuelas each lived with me growing up and had an incredibly profound impact on my life.
I don’t know, maybe it’s something in our diets that makes us live so long, but I doubt it considering we’re talking about the same population that suffers from way higher rates of diabetes, obesity and certain types of cancer. I really think it’s that indefinable thing that makes us all feel so connected to our culture, that joie de vivre as the French would say, that carries over into our twilight years.
Here’s to Betty White for proving to America that women don’t expire once they reach a certain age, but rather like a fine Argentinian wine, we just get better. She’s been a trailblazer for female comedians and it was wonderful seeing so many celebs like Mary Tyler Moore, Carol Burnett, and Amy Poehler honor her last night on the NBC special Betty White's 90th Birthday: A Tribute to America's Golden Girl. She and abuelas like mine are an inspiration and make me fear aging a little bit less.
Is your abuela full of spunk? Does she live it up like a younger person?
Image via NBC
