Sometimes I wonder what it will be like when I grow old. What the world will be like. What I will be like. I hope I’ll be one of those eccentric ladies who keep having fun until their last breath, who don’t let the fact that they’re 90 get in the way of enjoying life.

My grandfather is celebrating his 99th birthday today. He’s still as healthy as can be and the doctors have been telling him for years he’ll live to be 100. The thing is, he doesn’t want to. Every night he goes to sleep, hoping that he won’t wake up in the morning. It’s not that he doesn’t like life anymore. The problem is that he feels he cannot enjoy it the way he used to. His age is catching up with him and he doesn’t like it one bit. Up until a few years ago he rode his bicycle every day. On Sundays he’d go to cheer for the local soccer club, of which he was a co-founder over 50 years ago. He loved being with people and chatting with them, hearing what was happening in the village and how everyone was doing. He’s never travelled, he never wanted to. He got everything he needed in his little village. Yet he never asked me why I wanted to get away so badly from everything he loves so dearly. He’s never questioned my reasons or tried to convince me to stay. He always shared my joy when I was about to go on a new adventure, telling me I should do what makes me happy. My grandfather is a wise man. Because of the distance I only see him a few times per year and every time I realise it could be the last time we meet. Nobody lives forever and when you’re 99… Well, you get the point.

So today I’m celebrating my grandfather’s 99th birthday and I’m grateful that he’s still here.