88 years of great youth
While some see the passing of the years as synonymous with pain and limitations, others take advantage of the freedom and learning experience to live up to the expression: better age. Having your birth closer to the discovery of the light bulb than to the creation of Orkut means today being in its golden years. Whether they are or not, there are people who, even with the weight of years on their shoulders, still take life as lightly as it can. Akie is one of these people.
Born in 1928, at just 2 years old, she arrived in Brazil accompanied by her parents. Coming from the land of the rising sun, Akie carries in her smile the lightness of someone who has lived a long time and is still thirsty for discovery. Close to completing 9 decades of life, she doesn’t see age as a big problem. In fact, no problem. At 88 years old, Akie continues to lead an active life and connect with nature. It alternates exercise classes with craft fairs, crochet with trails through the woods. Anyone who knows her knows: Akie has an adventurous, young and energetic spirit.
On her third visit to the city of Gramado, Akie was invited by her daughter to go on a completely new adventure: sailing through rapids down the river in an inflatable boat! Her spirit spoke loudly and she didn’t hesitate, it was at first sight. The daughter, Kiyoko, who accompanies Mami on all her adventures, booked the rafting, organized everything and on a sunny carnival morning, Akie went down the rapids of the Paranhana River.
“I didn’t imagine that 8 people could row through the rapids of a river, even without having any experience with rowing”, says Akie, being the only one on the boat with navigation experience. On the beaches of Angra, in Rio de Janeiro, Akie found one of his passions: rowing. With an amateur trawl license, he takes his adventurous spirit along the waters of the South Atlantic, enjoying the breeze and the stillness of the waters.
If a sedentary lifestyle plagues the new generations, it is certainly not an obstacle for those who grew up a few decades ago, when work was manual and technology was mechanical. Dave Roberts is a living – and active – example of this. Americans want to cross the country in the best backpacker style: no hotels or inns along the way, not even hitchhiking. The old man has already completed more than 4,800 kilometers across Texas, on foot, by bicycle and even by kayak; He visited more than 40 national parks and his average pace is 37 kilometers per day carrying all his comfort in 11 kilos of equipment on his back. “I hope to do this until I get tired,” says Dave, who has already collected 72 Januarys.
However, if there are still doubts regarding the practice of adventure activities for those who have already surpassed a fiftieth anniversary of life, remember Akie, who after enjoying a beautiful, refreshing landscape and an unforgettable adventure, adds: “It’s pure emotion. Emotion safely. Those who don’t have the courage to venture out lose out.”