I found one—at the first pharmacy I entered. A big, beautiful 100 made out of sparkles against a creamy background. The card is now in the mail, winging its way towards my daughter-in-law’s grandmother, who is thriving in the bosom of a tropical island, deep in the embrace of friends and families who have gathered for the occasion.

There are some physical issues, such as the patch over her eye that she is forced to wear. But Mema has a great sense of humor, and simply cut out a photo of a lovely eye from a magazine and pasted it on. She can’t get out much, the way she used to—but she is still living a full, rich life.

Some experts have become fond of dividing the post-boomer crowd into two main buckets: the wellderly and the illderly. Common sense would dictate that there is a big difference between whose who through a combo of fate and luck have or haven’t dodged major illnesses.

But even this is something we’re having to rethink. A study by Boston University conducted health assessments of 700 men and women who had reached the age of 100.

Turns out that while two-thirds had managed to avoid major age-related ailments, one-third were living with high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes. Both groups “functioned remarkably well”, the explanation being aggressive treatment that did not exist for generations past.

So happy birthday, Mema. And thanks, too, greeting card industry!

Carol Orsborn