The Chinese grandmother has clearly planned for her old age without relying on her children.
Just last month, Ms. Yang (Jianyang, China) turned 73. Before retiring, she worked as an accountant for a state-owned enterprise. Currently, her pension is 2,000 yuan/month (6.7 million VND). Combined with savings of about 200,000 yuan, this woman said she is living a relatively comfortable life.
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Sharing more about her family, she said she has a 35-year-old son, a software engineer, who is living in Singapore. “He is very busy with work and family matters, so I don’t want to bother him. Most of our communication is done through video calls. I think that’s enough to make us happy,” said Ms. Duong.
This woman is constantly invited to Singapore by her son. However, she knows that there is an invisible distance between her and her son. “Although I don’t live with my son, I am not lonely. I am surrounded by old friends. Sometimes, we make plans to play mahjong together or go to the supermarket together. Life is so simple, but many people are jealous of me,” the old woman said with a proud face.
Enjoy loneliness in a special way
She said that to have such a happy life in the last years of life, one must learn to enjoy solitude. Ms. Duong understood the generation gap between her and her children, so she refused to live together.
Even though she lives alone, she always knows how to make each day more meaningful by traveling. After setting foot in all the provinces in the country, Ms. Duong started traveling to remote countries. Wherever she went, she talked to the locals or people in the group. “I like listening to them tell interesting stories about life. We even keep in touch and make plans for future trips. After each trip like that, I understand that I need to enjoy the moments and people I meet in the present. With those experiences, I realized that I can completely live alone without relying on my children,” she said.
Sharing more, Ms. Duong affirmed that she has lived alone for many years and is used to loneliness. She admitted that loneliness is not scary. It gives her space to think and explore things that she could not do before.
“Every morning when I wake up, I tell myself that today will be a day full of joy. If I don’t travel, I will go to a dance class or have tea with friends. These small joys are the secret to helping me not be lonely in my later years.”
Plan for the coming years
In addition to enjoying every little moment in life, Ms. Duong has a clear plan for money and health. Although her savings are not too much, she said it is enough to cover basic living needs. Her view on money is simple: Just enough, not too much. Excessive desire only brings trouble.
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“If one day I am unfortunate enough to contract a serious illness that cannot be cured, I will not persevere in treatment at all costs. Life is precious. But I do not want to spend the last years of my life enduring physical pain, as well as financial and mental burdens for my children,” Ms. Duong confided.
Finally, this woman plans to go to a nursing home rather than live with her children. Some people think that nursing homes are places for lonely old people. “I believe that over time, the conditions and services here will get better and better. There, I can meet people my age. We can participate in group activities together, reminisce about the past. The nursing home will probably be my second home to enjoy my old age,” this woman said.
So whether in the present or the future, Ms. Duong is grateful for what life has given her. She cherishes every phone call with her son, every moment with her friends, and every moment alone.
Source: https://giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn/khong-can-dua-vao-con-cu-ba-u75-luong-huu-6-trieu-dong-van-song-nhung-nam-ve-gia-tu-tai-172250109151820742.htm
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