Live life to the fullest.
Welcome back!
The world oldest blogger Olive Riley was born in 1899. She took up blogging back in 2005, when she was 106. In her site, ‘The Life of Riley’, and in a series of videos post on YouTube, Riley shared with world on her day-to-day life. She also recounted living through two world wars and raising three children on her own while working as a cook and a bar maid.
She wrote of singing a “happy song, as I do every day,” with a visitor to the nursing home. In one of blog post titled “Washing Day,” Olive wrote: “You 21st Century people live a different life than the one I lived as a youngster in the early 1900s. Take washing day, for instance. These days you just toss your dirty clothes into a washing machine, press a few switches, and it’s done.”
She then described how she helped do laundry as a youngster, starting with finding “a few pieces of wood to fire the copper for Mum.” “When the water in the copper began to boil, Mum would add a cupful of soap chips, and throw in a cube of Reckitt’s Blue wrapped in a muslin bag to whiten the clothes,” she wrote. “Then she put in all the dirty clothes, first rubbing out the stains with a bar of Sunlight soap. … that was jolly hard work.”
Olive Riley died at the age of 108 after posting a final message about her ailing health but how she sang “a happy song, as I do every day.”
Olive Riley’s friend Eric Shackle, who met Olive at a nursing home said, “She had a wonderful memory, and an amazing zest for life”.
Not everyone will be as bless a Olive Riley to live to be 108. The average life expectancy in the United States at the moment is about 79.2 years. That means 28,928 days if we are lucky. May be some of us will live to be as old as Olive or maybe not. The questions we should be think about is: How old are you right now? How many days your lived so far? How many days you have left to live?
At 20 years old. You have lived 7,305 days. You have 21,623 days left to live.
At 30 years old. You have lived 10,957 days. You have 17,971 days left to live.
At 40 years old. You have lived 14,610 days. You have 14,318 days left to live.
At 50 years old. You have lived 18,262 days. You have 10,666 days left to live.
At 60 years old. You have lived 21,915 days. You have 7,013 days left to live.
Notice how quickly time pass by? I am sure you’ve done some terrific things so far. But more importantly, What great things you still wish to do? Don’t waste any more time, take action to do what you wish. It is never too late or too early. Today is the day!
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Action
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Hi Giovanna,
It is impressive Article. Live active today. Today only. One day at a time. Reminded me of importance of being alive now, today.
Thank you for your sharing.
Shaw Funami
Fill the Missing Link
This post highlights one of the primary purposes of my blog… living in the now, achieving your dreams, staying true to yourself, seizing the moment…
Stay true to yourself by focusing on, visualizing, and expecting the best, most positive, outcomes in your life… learn from the past and live in the now. If you live focused on the past you have written your future.
Thanks again,
Darren Sproat
Giovanna, thank you for the great post. What an inspiration she was at 108. Thank you for sharing this.
Dan and Deanna “Marketing Unscrambled”
I read about Olive a while ago. What an inspirational story on not letting age make you grow old!
Hi Gio .. what an amazing lady .. I remember we used Reckitt’s blue (in a muslin bag) back in the 1950s .. & sunlight (green) soap .. in fact it is still in common use amongst us oldies, and a South African friend used it & continued to use after she went to New Zealand .. so I suppose it was another of those Commonwealth exports!
Live life to the full .. we never know when our time will come .. my Mum used a computer up until 2+ years ago .. she was 86 at that stage and still asks me to google things for her .. !!
It’s great to see people with a zest for life ..
Thanks for sharing Olive and her story ..
Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters
Wow, 108 is a long life! I’d love to be as full of zest as her at half that age. Where do you find all these stories Giovanna?
Thanks Giovanna! Boy time does fly! Thanks for the wake-up call by posting the remaining days of each of the timelines…there aren’t enough days left it you ask me.
Wow, this really gives me a new perspective on time and how much we really (don’t) have of it. This is a great wake up call to remember that life is short and we need to embrace every moment of it!
http://positivelypresent.typepad.com
Giovanna, I’ve never heard of Olive, but I really loved this article. I especially like how she sang a happy song every day. I’m sure that had something to do with her longevity. I decided that I will live to be at least 100 and I will thrive until I get there. What an inspirational lady. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Shaw
The power of now is the most powerful thing.
Thank you for your comment and joining the conversation.
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Action
Hi Darren,
I agree with you and think that we should live life to the fullest and live in the “now”.
I enjoy your work, keep spreading your message.
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Action
Hi Deanna,
We can all learn to be more like her. Live life to the fullest.
Thank you for your comment and joining in the conversation.
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Action
Hi Tom,
A wonderful story such as Olivia can never be told enough. Please continue to share her story.
Thank you for your comment and support.
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Action
Hi Hilary,
Thanks for sharing and joining in the conversation.
I thought about your mom when I read this story. It is amazing to hear that your mom is full of life and still computer savy at 86..I hope that will be me.
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Action
Hi Daphne,
The stories just come to me……good stories like this seem to keep moving along.
You will be full of zest!
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Action
Hi Carlotta,
Wicky wicky….. time is waisting! Life life to the fullest and make the best of every day!
Thank you for your comment, and sharing your thoughts.
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Action
Hi Positively Present,
Make the best of every moment and live for today!
Thanks for sharing and letting me hear your thoughts.
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Action
Hi Gio .. she was .. not now - but when she’s well and bright and sparkly ..she sends me off to Google ..!! Find out more info ..
Today - believe it or not she suddenly came back to life .. and was full of the joys of Spring - amazing .. wonderful .. tomorrow at 9.30 am is the procedure (just a local anaesthetic) .. and perhaps on Thursday we’ll be back up the road .. let’s hope.
I’ll do a post on it .. as it was so amazing!!
Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters
Hi Stephen,
Singing a song was Olives way of making her days worth while and sharing her stories with the world.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and cheers to your 100 yr birthday!
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Action
Hi Mark,
It is a great story…I’m glad you got a chance to hear about this amazing woman.
Thank you for joining the conversation and sharing your thoughts.
Giovanna Garvia
Imperfect Action is better than no action
Hi Giovanna!
Wow this was such an awesome post! I loved hearing about Riley and her life is an inspiration for me for sure! I do want to live out each day to the fullest and make the most out of life and I am very happy at how that is going so far
I know people like this exist to serve as an example of what is possible and to push us further than we every thought we can go, thanks to their inspiring ways!
Thank you for this Giovana!
You never really know how long you’ve got so I’m a fan of making the most of the time you’ve got, a moment at a time.
Hi Evita,
I love this story too, and she is an excellent role model for all of us….she is very inspirational.
Thank you for your comment and joining the conversation.
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Action
HA! Super cool! 106 years old blogger. Shame she only discovered it only recently, did not they have blogs back in ehm….. oh, i get they have not
. I wish I could keep blogging when i am 106 
Alike…
Thanks for your comment!
Don’t wish….just do it! Keep blogging.
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Action
A very inspirational lady. Have really enjoyed reading the story. Thanks for sharing
Hi Salwa
Olive was a great role model and a wonderful inspiration to so many.
I am glad you enjoyed this post.
Thank you for your comment and joining the conversation.
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Action