A Woman on a Mission

Her name is Elsie Godo. It’s pronounced go-dough, but for her it’s more accurate to say go do. Elsie has been a woman on a mission her whole life, trying to do and experience all that life has to offer. She’s not letting the fact that she just turned 100 stop her.

Her biggest complaint is that there aren’t enough hours in a day. Always up for having fun, Elsie has a long list of things she enjoys doing, in addition to all the new things she wants to try. She teaches line dancing and square dancing and exercises five days a week. She keeps her mind sharp with puzzles, trivia games, and watches Jeopardy. Bingo is fun and she enjoys reading books she downloads on her tablet. Elsie also participates in knitting projects for the homeless in her community. Music has always been an important part of her life and she plays the piano and harmonica.

Sense of Adventure

For her recent birthday, Elsie started doing exercises so she’d be better able to hop on – hop on the back of a red Harley-Davison. It wasn’t her first time, it was her second time on a Harley. She loved it the first time, and when she had the opportunity to ride again with a newfound friend, she jumped at the chance. This time she had a police escort and a new leather jacket for the ride through the mountains of East Tennessee.

We can’t say for sure that a sense of adventure runs in Elsie’s family, but longevity does. Her sister recently died one week before her 104th birthday. While they might have been blessed with “good genes,” science tells us that while genetic factors account for 25% of our longevity, it is our lifestyle and choices we make that account for the other 75% of factors.

It seems as though Elsie got the golden ticket – good genes and good lifestyle choices. She has a family she loves and easily makes new friends, which gives her a strong circle of support. She’s physically and mentally active and engaged. She volunteers her time. She’s created a 100 Year Lifestyle for herself that could have her outliving her sister….by a lot!