With an impressive memory, knowledge and eye for world events, 103-year-old Ruth Swindler is admired by acquaintances and strangers alike.

“My doctor likes to talk to me. He tells me: “You are beautiful.” I answer him: “Why? Because I’m old? And she says, “No, because you’re sophisticated,” says Ruth Swindler, who lives in a Connecticut nursing home. “I don’t talk like an old lady. I don’t even feel like that,” she adds.

Her sister Shirley Hodes lives about 1,300 miles away in North Carolina and thinks the same way. “I’m not that old. I don’t feel old, that’s true,” says the 106-year-old, who admits that, unlike many of her peers, she’s never done a crossword puzzle in her life. “But I read a lot It’s best for the mind,” he says.

Two of them share their experience of over a century, summarizing what they believe promotes longevity.

Job

“I enjoyed working,” says Swindler, an amateur actress in local theater productions who remained active and later worked at a synagogue and a number of other Jewish organizations.

So did her older sister, who until the age of seventy worked as a teacher’s assistant in a high school. According to her, she would also like to become a journalist because she likes to give interviews, a love she has already put into the elderly structure where she lives so that she can get to know people.

According to him, if someone is lucky enough to enjoy his work, he should enjoy it. “Being committed to what you do is very important. It’s also a great pleasure to use your talents,” he concludes.

Ties

Both Hodes and Swindler emphasize the importance of family and especially a good marriage. “There is nothing better. How beautiful it is to love and be loved.”

“I was very lucky,” Hodes says of her husband, with whom she had a “wonderful relationship” until his death. “People around you, friends, family, relatives, have a huge impact on you. It’s what you remember the most,” he says.

Although the husband of the Swindler also died, she herself preserved and nurtured close relations it lasted decades. “I like having friends. I love people,” he says.

As her sister says, curiosity keeps the mind active. “Some people only care about themselves. I’ve always been interested in hearing other people’s stories. They are full of surprises. People love to talk about themselves. Give them a chance to open up and listen to them.”

Education

Svindler loved the theater and, in addition to the acting itself, she had seen the theater in her life. He doesn’t watch TV except for the news. She says her best show is 60 Minutes on CBS. “And I love to read, it’s my passion,” she says.

Hodes, on the other hand, describes how older people easily get caught up in their health issues, which doesn’t help them keep an open mind.

Her thirst for new knowledge led her to take auditing courses after her retirement. And art and literature, as she admits, broadened her horizons. “I have wonderful books. I recently listened to audiobooks about them. Jews of Thessaloniki, elephants and soprano Jesse Norman. These are slightly different topics than my profile and that’s what makes the content so exciting. There is always something to learn,” he notes.

Grade

Hodes never had the opportunity to go to university, and this is one of her few regrets. She and her sister were the youngest of eight children in a crowded apartment. Their parents, immigrants, barely coped.

“You can’t have everything. And when you have important things in life, you should realize it.“, – says the 106-year-old man. “My secret; I am a happy man. Although I had health problems and ailments, I overcame them. I am grateful for a wonderful life. It keeps me going and keeps me going.”

Although Swindler used to walk every day, her mobility problems now prevent her from doing so. She wishes her body was as strong as her mind, but she is also grateful for what she has. “Fortunately, I can still read. And I read great stuff.”

Source: CNNBC.