Will You Be Skydiving at 104?
Dorothy Hoffner is one of those few folks who survived both the Spanish flu pandemic a century ago and the recent Covid pandemic.
However, she's most notable for choosing to go skydiving at 104 years old, as captured in this New York Times article and video. And for the record, this was her second time (she jumped four years earlier). Of course, the global press fell in love with her, thinking there was some existential reason she was doing this. Ultimately, her "Why not?!" attitude shocked everyone and helped expose a little societal ageism.
One week after her glorious dive at 104, Dorothy passed away in her sleep. Immediately, the phrase "seize the day" ("carpe diem") comes to mind, which in its full form (from the Roman poet Horace, 23 BCE) is "seize the day, putting as little trust as possible in the future." We can learn from Dorothy as there's never a better time than now to do, learn, or say what you've always wanted to.
-Chip
