Lately, this picture has hit me constantly on how I would be at the age of 75. I am 24 now and I have to live another 51 years to be 75. I have always told my friends that 65 would be my perfect age to leave this world. But do we even have choice of when to be born and when to exit? The perfect age of 65 was my certainty until I met this 75 year old woman and now I am uncertain of the perfect age of exit.
To the extreme east a place which is connected by 18KM of rough road from Mongar-Tashigang high way is a Gewog named Narang under Mongar Dzongkhag. It is 100 kilometers away from the Dzongkhag. To the extreme North-West of the remote Gewog is the far flung Village named Yangzor. It is 45 minutes walk for 24 year old woman and 2 hours walk for 75 year old woman.
Yangzor just have three households. Basic necessity like drinking water and electricity is provided except the farm road connection. The first household I visit was a home of woman in her mid forties. She stays alone at home. All of her children (4 of them) stay at Thimphu. Then the next household was the household of energetic home of 75 years old woman and 72 years old man.
They are the lone couple there. At first I felt pity that these two old couple is left alone and aloof in this far flung village. As I entered their house I see a handloom and thought that there is a daughter who stays with them. To my amazement it was this 75 years old woman who was weaving. Can you believe this? She is 75 and is still weaving! Later I found that she weaves and sells her product. The cash earned from the product is utilized in hiring laborers to do their field work.
She has her children in urban areas. She is happy on receiving calls from her daughters and sons on reminding her to take her medicines on time. Household chores like cooking, cleaning and washing are seen as no burden for this 75 years old woman. This 75 years old granny is still in her 50s.
Since that day it hit me deep that 75 years is too short if you are willing to live. There is no certain age to exit this world, just uncertainties to living and existing.
I still question to myself “How old would I be if I were to live upto 75 years?”
Wandering Thoughts 