Age, they say, is just a number.

I used to believe it too, when I was young enough to not have back spasms and moaning knees as frequent companions.

Of fact, you’re only as old as you feel on the inside, even though the wear and tear on our bodies seems destined to limit what we can and cannot do.

Growing old is a natural part of life, and the vast majority of us are forced to realize that some things will have to be left behind as we age. Things that place a physical burden on our bodies are frequently included. For example… dancing.

Mary Capasso of Woodbury, New Jersey, bucked such expectations recently when she celebrated her 103rd birthday with a dinner party and a ballroom dance party.

“I was born in 1919,” Mary told 6ABC.

“I’m fine, I’m not feeling any different than any other day.”

Susan Sacks, Community Life Director at Watermark’s Woodbury Mews, where Mary lives, said she and the team there wanted to make the occasion particularly memorable by hosting the dance.

“Because that was her passion,” explained Sacks. “This was the first year we were able to make it happen; we were able to kind of surprise her.”

Dancers performed in Mary’s honor as part of the festivities. “My husband and I both enjoyed dancing,” Mary explained.

6ABC is credited on YouTube.
According to stories, Mary met her late husband, Carl, in high school. They married in 1941, just before he was called up for military service in WWII.

“We’d only been married a few months when he was drafted,” Mary explained.

She went on to say that she and Carl began dancing when their son Carl Jr. left for college.

“It wasn’t simple. “We practiced a lot,” she continued. “We were such good dancers.”

Mary had another spin on the floor as a special treat to celebrate her 103rd birthday. There aren’t many people over the age of 100 who have preserved the required mobility to enjoy a dance floor, but Mary was overjoyed to have the opportunity.

“She is still so vibrant at 103,” Susan Sacks noted. She’s a great woman.

6ABC is credited on YouTube.
Indeed! What an inspiration she is. If I live to be 103, I hope I can still get up and dance.

Please share this post if it made you smile, and leave a comment wishing Mary a very pleasant Birthday and many more pleasant returns.