ALMOST 100: Admiring Elia

I am the honored person who greets Elia Kubiista every morning at age 99. We have a lovely conversation and she is a smart lady. I tease her that she is on her way to her 100th birthday on March 5 and in her New York accent she dismisses me for such a travesty.

Her motto is this: “Let us never know what age is. Let us know the happiness time brings, not count the tears.” “We never want to be any older than 21, 25 on any given day,” as she swirls her tea.

I have many activities that I bring to my job and she is one who loves to participate. She adores bingo, and especially Wii bowling. She has a pretty good score too with many strikes. She does this sitting down, but heck, she knocks this game out with others wishing they could do the same.

We have music playing all the time and many activities that provide this fundamental universal language. She walks all the time with her walker to all my activities and when she hears the music playing she tips her walker and taps her feet and dosey-dos into the world that she will smile in and find a chair. She is always smiling and always has a kind word.

Oh, to be 100! I hope I am still dancing like her.

BETH PIETLICKI

Coeur d’Alene