Happy at 100

January 17, 2012 2:22 PM

Karsten Thormaehlen captured the wisdom and joy of aging by photographing centenarians.

(Apologies in advance for the small photos)

posted by gman (7 comments total)

Lovely photos. If I should be lucky enough to hit 100, I hope I look half as good as these fine folks.
posted by xedrik at 2:49 PM on January 17, 2012

I'll tell you this. Getting older has its pains, but by Christ, I wouldn't be under thirty again for anything. Not for *anything*.
posted by Decani at 2:52 PM on January 17, 2012 [1 favorite]

I'm not on board for the whole joy of aging thing. Getting older sucks terribly. The only thing that can be said for it is that it is usually better than the alternative.
posted by Justinian at 2:59 PM on January 17, 2012 [1 favorite]

Interviewer to centenarian: I'm not sure I'd want to live to be 100 myself.

Centenarian: That's because you've never been 99.
posted by localroger at 3:00 PM on January 17, 2012 [2 favorites]

I've been lucky enough to be on tennis teams with ladies that are in their upper 70s. Getting older doesn't always have to "suck terribly". Sometimes it means you can kick someone's ass sideways on the court and then rub your wrinkly hands together and laugh and laugh and laugh in an awesome witch cackle.
posted by dutcherino at 4:48 PM on January 17, 2012 [3 favorites]

I'll see your centenarian portraits and raise you portraits of nude Japanese centenarian women by Manabu Yamanaka.
posted by Drab_Parts at 7:31 PM on January 17, 2012 [4 favorites]

I don't know what I thought 100 looked like, but these folks don't look it. And I'm totally going to start practicing my awesome witch cackle at 85ish, if I'm around.
posted by Glinn at 9:48 AM on January 18, 2012