Dorothy’s got it figured out

We can all agree that the quality of our lives is more important than the quantity.

But if you’ve got both?

Then you and Dorothy Jumel are rare birds.

Last week, The Press featured Jumel shortly after she “retired” from Super Supplements in Coeur d’Alene. At the ripe young age of 98, she decided it was time to do something else. What exactly that ends up being, we can’t wait to see.

In the meantime, we salute Jumel for striving to improve the quantity and quality of life for thousands of people she’s met and served over these many years. And we note that in this Age of Acrimony, when cynicism and anger percolate like a bubbling tar pit, Jumel’s prescription for a long and happy life is pretty simple.

“I love helping people on all levels of their life, wherever they are,” she told The Press in an interview eight years ago, when she was only 90. “I honor and respect them wherever they are.”

With a little help, she said, she’s seen people “graduate to a place where life is precious to them. That’s the joy of my life — seeing these people with a whole new lease on life.”

Dorothy was singing from the same sheet of music last week, of course. Reporter Bill Buley asked for her trade secret. Here’s what he wrote:

So, the million-dollar question, what’s the key to her success?

Science, faith, diet and exercise all have a place in her routine. Meditation and walks and drinking water are part of life’s elixir.

“We’re supposed to come here and be happy, gay, throwing out the love and the wisdom,” she said.

She repeats that to be sure her point is clear: love and wisdom for those she meets. Send out good vibes to counter the negative.

“That’s it,” Jumel said. “The ones that are good, the ones that are part way, the ones that hate you — you just give that love.”

Her mantra comes from the heart, and like most good things, it has evolved without changing at its core. Going back to The Press article from 2012, Dorothy offered this advice to others seeking long and happy journeys on this Earth:

“I would tell people to give their love and wisdom away to those they walk with in life.”

Unlike some supplements, that outlook is easy to swallow — and it’s free.

It might even make the whole world feel better.