‘Look for the light’: Centenarian wisdom and a mother’s legacy

With the average life expectancy in the U.S. at 77, it is fairly rare to hear of a centenarian. In fact, people age 100 and over account for only approximately 0.01% of the world's population. This translates to roughly 600,000 people. Japan has the highest rate of centenarians, with approximately 0.06% of its population reaching 100 years or older.

If you live 100 years, you will experience 36,525 days on this planet. Conversely, if you live to the average age of 77, you will experience just 28,124 days. That’s not an incredibly large number. Factor in sick days, bad days, vacation days, and lazy days, and we don’t have a ton of time to leave our mark on this world. However, some centenarians would argue that there are proven ways to lengthen one’s days, and more importantly, to pack meaning and purpose into each day.

One such 100-something was Gladys Louise McGarey, who just passed away last September at the age of 103. McGarey, a holistic physician and medical activist, was born to Presbyterian medical missionaries in India on Nov. 30, 1920. She attended college in the U.S. and went on to become a medical doctor. For 60 years, she operated a family practice focused on prevention and wellness. She was married for 46 years and had six children. She also authored five books, co-founded the American Holistic Medical Association, and was inducted into the Arizona Women’s Hall of Fame.

As you might imagine, such an accomplished woman had several things to say about life, love, and purpose. She was interviewed by YouTuber Sprouht the month before she passed away. Dressed in bright colors, with her thick white hair wrapped around the top of her head in a braid like a crown, McGarey was just as sharp and insightful as ever. Here are some tidbits she had to share.

When asked about how to avoid worrying about the state of the world or what the future might bring, she had this to say: “Look for the light. If you’re looking for the darkness, you’ll find it. But look for the light, because the sun always comes up, and the moon comes up, and the stars. There’s always light to be looked for, if we look for it… Look for the light. Look for hope. If you’re looking for it, you’ll find it. Sometimes it’s hard to find. Sometimes it’s very hidden. “See, I kind of like thinking, if I’m walking on a path that’s dark and all I can see is one step at a time, I can take those steps. But as I look over to one side or the other, maybe on the left side, there’s a tiny little glimmer of light. But if I take my flashlight and put it on with that little glimmer, it lights the whole thing up. In other words, if we have something that we have to share and we share it, life gets more exciting, not only for us but for the person that finds the light and all of a sudden, well, there’s more there. “See, I have these five Ls that have given me a little bit of a platform from which to work at,” she continued. “The first two are Life and Love. They go together. They don’t function without each other. It’s like, when I’m pregnant, the baby I’m carrying is one with me. Everything I eat, he eats. Everything I think, he thinks. It’s all one unit. So the life and love function together.

“The third L is Laughter. Laughter without love is cruel. It hurts. It breaks up families. It causes wars. But laughter with love is joy and happiness. It lights your life up.

“And the fourth one is Labor. Labor becomes drudgery if you’re just dragging it along. But when you actually look at it with love, the work you’re doing is 10 times as hard and longer hours than anything you would be doing when you were dragging yourself through it. So finding the aspect of your own being that says, ‘Ha! I got it!’ and you go after it, that’s what lights you up. I’m working at this age to do something I can do. And I know that the world is hungry for it.

“And then the last L is Listening. Listening without love is empty sound. You just don’t hear it. But if you’re listening with love, you’ll hear it. And it will speak to you.” McGarey’s advice is simple, yet profound. It calls to mind a quote from theologian Frederick Buechner, who said, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” In other words, don’t spend your life living someone else’s version of what they think your life should be. It will indeed be “drudgery” and you won’t be effective. Instead, find what you are passionate about, what brings you joy, and go make the world better through doing that. Use your light to illuminate others’ lives. Don’t hoard your gifts; give them away.

Also, the interview with McGarey didn’t get into too many specific tips on how she was able to stay young for so many years, but being that she was a holistic practitioner and a firm believer in the “interconnectedness of all aspects [of a person] – body, mind, emotions, spirit,” I imagine she would say it’s crucial to care for all aspects of our wellbeing and not just focus on one – say our physical health – to the neglect of the others.

- Also, happy Mother’s Day on Sunday to all the moms out there, along with the stepmoms, grandmas, and those who have been like a mom to a child who needed it. There is something profound and beautiful about a mother’s love, the way she nurtures and cares for her children. Children will inevitably grow into adults and may move far away, but they are never too far from a mother’s heart.

If you are blessed to still have your mom Earthside, make sure to spend some time with her or give her a phone call on Sunday. That relationship is so important.

“There’s no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one.” – Jill Churchill.

“The influence of a mother in the lives of her children is beyond calculation.” – James E. Faust

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