Turning 80

Yesterday my grandmother turned 80. 80 is a huge milestone. Living in Japan I always hear about people living over 80. For them, it’s an average number to hit. But for someone in Bangladesh, it’s completely different.
Back in Bangladesh as soon as you turn 50 your life starts slowing down. I thought this was normal but when I left Bangladesh I saw how different it was in other countries. Especially in Japan, seeing people work even after they are in their 70s was crazy to see. It also surprised me to see how healthy they were. It was certainly eye-opening and helped me plan my life too.
I don’t blame what happens in Bangladesh on any particular reason. There are a lot of things influencing the mindset of people. I can talk about that some other day. Today I just wanted to say Happy Birthday to my grandma.
She has been a significant influence on not only me but a lot of my maternal family. It’s not easy to see your close ones getting older. Being abroad it’s tougher. But I am happy that I can still talk with them. Even at 80, she is doing really well. Hope I can meet her soon when I visit Bangladesh.
It hasn’t been easy for her to accept getting older. But I would say she has handled it better than a lot of people. Especially when she knows how people age in Bangladesh. In spite of all that she is going strong.