Hi, kids.
Ola, rapaces.
(Laughter)
(Risas)
I'm 71.
Teño 71 anos.
(Applause) My husband is 76. My parents are in their late 90s, and Olivia, the dog, is 16. So let's talk about aging.
(Aplausos) O meu home ten 76. Os meus pais están no final dos 90 e Olivia, a cadela, ten 16. Falemos entón de envellecer.
Let me tell you how I feel when I see my wrinkles in the mirror and I realize that some parts of me have dropped and I can't find them down there. (Laughter)
Direivos como me sinto cando vexo as miñas engurras no espello e doume de conta que algunhas partes de min caeron e non as podo atopar, alá abaixo. (Risas)
Mary Oliver says in one of her poems, "Tell me, what is it that you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" Me, I intend to live passionately.
Mary Oliver di nun dos seus poemas, "Dime, que é o que pensas facer coa túa única salvaxe e preciada vida?" Eu, pretendo vivir apaixonadamente.
When do we start aging? Society decides when we are old, usually around 65, when we get Medicare, but we really start aging at birth. We are aging right now, and we all experience it differently. We all feel younger than our real age, because the spirit never ages. I am still 17. Sophia Loren. Look at her. She says that everything you see she owes to spaghetti. I tried it and gained 10 pounds in the wrong places. But attitude, aging is also attitude and health. But my real mentor in this journey of aging is Olga Murray. This California girl at 60 started working in Nepal to save young girls from domestic bondage. At 88, she has saved 12,000 girls, and she has changed the culture in the country. (Applause) Now it is illegal for fathers to sell their daughters into servitude. She has also founded orphanages and nutritional clinics. She is always happy and eternally young.
¿Cando comezamos a envellecer? As sociedades deciden cando somos vellos, normalmente ao redor dos 65, cando nos dan Medicare pero en realidade comezamos a envellecer cando nacemos. Estamos envellecendo agora mesmo, e todos o experimentamos dunha maneira distinta. Todos nos sentimos máis novos da nosa idade real, porque o espírito nunca envellece. Eu todavía teño 17 anos. Sophia Loren. Mírena. Di que todo o que vedes llo debe aos espaguetis. Eu intenteino e engordei 4 kilos nos lugares equivocados. Pero actitude, envellecer e tamén actitude e saúde. Pero a miña mentora nesta viaxe de envellecer é Olga Murray. Esta moza californiana aos 60 comezou a traballar en Nepal para salvar a rapazas novas da escravitude doméstica. Aos 88, ten salvado a 12.000 rapazas, e cambiado a cultura no país. (Aplausos) Agora é ilegal que os pais vendan as súas fillas para a servidume. Tamén fundou orfanatos a clínicas nutricionais. Sempre está feliz e eternamente nova.
What have I lost in the last decades? People, of course, places, and the boundless energy of my youth, and I'm beginning to lose independence, and that scares me. Ram Dass says that dependency hurts, but if you accept it, there is less suffering. After a very bad stroke, his ageless soul watches the changes in the body with tenderness, and he is grateful to the people who help him.
¿Que perdín nas últimas décadas? Xente, por suposto, lugares, e a enerxía inesgotable da miña xuventude, e estou empezando a perder independencia, e iso dame medo. Ram Dass di que a dependencia manca, pero si a aceptas, hai menos sufrimento. Despois dun mal derrame, a súa alma sen idade ve os cambios do corpo con tenrura, e está agradecido á xente que o axudou.
What have I gained? Freedom: I don't have to prove anything anymore. I'm not stuck in the idea of who I was, who I want to be, or what other people expect me to be. I don't have to please men anymore, only animals. I keep telling my superego to back off and let me enjoy what I still have. My body may be falling apart, but my brain is not, yet. I love my brain. I feel lighter. I don't carry grudges, ambition, vanity, none of the deadly sins that are not even worth the trouble. It's great to let go. I should have started sooner. And I also feel softer because I'm not scared of being vulnerable. I don't see it as weakness anymore. And I've gained spirituality. I'm aware that before, death was in the neighborhood. Now, it's next door, or in my house. I try to live mindfully and be present in the moment. By the way, the Dalai Lama is someone who has aged beautifully, but who wants to be vegetarian and celibate? (Laughter)
¿Que gañei? Liberdade: xa non teño que demostrar nada. Non estou anclada na idea de quen fun, quen quero ser, ou que espera a xente que sexa. Xa non teño que compracer aos homes, só aos animais. Non paro de dicirlle ao meu super ego que retroceda e me deixe desfutar o que aínda teño. Pode que o meu corpo se estea a desbaratar, pero a miña cabeza non, aínda. Encántame o meu cerebro. Síntome máis lixeira. Non cargo con rencor, ambición, vanidade, ningún dos pecados capitais que nin sequera pagan a pena. É xenial deixar ir. Debería ter empezado antes. Tamén me sinto máis blanda porque non me asusta ser vulnerable. Xa non o vexo como unha debilidade. E gañei espiritualidade. Son consciente de que antes, a morte estaba no barrio. Agora, está ao lado, ou na miña casa. Procuro vivir conscientemente e estar presente no momento. Por certo, o Dalai Lama é alguén que envelleceu marabillosamente, pero quen quere ser vexetariano e célibe? (Risas)
Meditation helps.
A meditación axuda.
(Video) Child: Ommm. Ommm. Ommm.
(Video) Neno: Ommmm. Ommm. Ommmm.
Isabel Allende: Ommm. Ommm. There it is. And it's good to start early.
Isabel Allende: Ommm. Ommm. Ahí o tedes. E é bo empezar pronto.
You know, for a vain female like myself, it's very hard to age in this culture. Inside, I feel good, I feel charming, seductive, sexy. Nobody else sees that. (Laughter) I'm invisible. I want to be the center of attention. I hate to be invisible. (Laughter) (Applause)
Sabedes, para unha muller vaidosa coma min, é moi dificil envellecer nesta cultura. Por dentro, síntome ben, síntome encantadora, seductora, sexy. Ninguén máis ve iso. (Risas) Son invisible. Quero ser o centro de atención. Odio ser invisible. (Risas) (Aplausos)
This is Grace Dammann. She has been in a wheelchair for six years after a terrible car accident. She says that there is nothing more sensual than a hot shower, that every drop of water is a blessing to the senses. She doesn't see herself as disabled. In her mind, she's still surfing in the ocean. Ethel Seiderman, a feisty, beloved activist in the place where I live in California. She wears red patent shoes, and her mantra is that one scarf is nice but two is better. She has been a widow for nine years, but she's not looking for another mate. She says that there is only a limited number of ways you can screw — well, she says it in another way — and she has tried them all. (Laughter) I, on the other hand, I still have erotic fantasies with Antonio Banderas — (Laughter) — and my poor husband has to put up with it.
Esta é Grace Dammann. Leva seis anos nunha cadeira de rodas despois dun terrible accidente de coche. Di que non hai nada máis sensual que unha ducha quente, que cada gota de auga é unha bendición para os sentidos. Non se ve como unha discapacitada. Na súa mente, ela aínda esta surfeando no océano. Ethel Seiderman, unha loitadora e querida activista no lugar onde vivo en California. Leva zapatos vermellos, e o seu mantra é que unha bufanda está ben pero dúas están mellor. Leva nove anos viúva, pero non está a buscar outro compañeiro. Di que hai só un número limitado de maneiras de meter a pata -- ben, ela dío doutra maneira -- e xa as probou todas. (Risas) Eu, por outra parte, aínda teño fantasías eróticas con Antonio Banderas (Risas) E o meu pobre marido ten que apandar con iso.
So how can I stay passionate? I cannot will myself to be passionate at 71. I have been training for some time, and when I feel flat and bored, I fake it. Attitude, attitude. How do I train? I train by saying yes to whatever comes my way: drama, comedy, tragedy, love, death, losses. Yes to life. And I train by trying to stay in love. It doesn't always work, but you cannot blame me for trying.
Entón ¿como podo manterme apaixonada? Non chega querer ser apaixonada aos 71. Estiven adestrando un dende hai tempo, e cando me sinto desanimada e aburrida, finxo. Actitude, actitude. ¿Como entreno? Entreno dicindo que si a todo o que veña: drama, comedia, traxedia, amor, morte, pérdidas. Si á vida. E entreno tratando de permanecer namorada. Non sempre funciona, pero non poden culparme por intentalo.
And, on a final note, retirement in Spanish is jubilación. Jubilation. Celebration. We have paid our dues. We have contributed to society. Now it's our time, and it's a great time. Unless you are ill or very poor, you have choices. I have chosen to stay passionate, engaged with an open heart. I am working on it every day. Want to join me?
E, como nota final, a retirada laboral en español é jubilación. Xúbilo. Celebración. Pagamos as nosas débedas. Contribuímos á sociedade. Agora é o noso tempo, e é un tempo fantástico. A non ser que esteas enfermo, ou sexas moi pobre tes opcións. Eu elexín manterme apaixonada, comprometida cun corazón aberto. Estou a traballar niso cada día. ¿Queredes unirvos?
Thank you.
Gracias.
(Applause)
(Aplausos)
June Cohen: So Isabel — IA: Thank you.
June Cohen: Entón Isabel -- IA: Gracias.
JC: First of all, I never like to presume to speak for the TED community, but I would like to tell you that I have a feeling we can all agree that you are still charming, seductive and sexy. Yes?
JC: Primeiro de todo, Nunca me gusta supoñer que falo pola comunidade TED, Pero quixera dicirche que teño o sentimento de que estamos todos de acordo que aínda eres encantadora, seductora e sexy. ¿Si?
IA: Aww, thank you. (Applause)
IA: Ohh, gracias (Aplausos)
JC: Hands down. IA: No, it's makeup.
JC: Sen dúbida. IA: Non, é maquillaxe.
Moderator: Now, would it be awkward if I asked you a follow-up question about your erotic fantasies?
JC: Agora, ¿sería raro se che preguntara sobre as túas fantasías eróticas?
IA: Oh, of course. About what?
IA: Oh, Por suposto. ¿Sobre que?
(Laughter)
(Risas)
Moderator: About your erotic fantasies. IA: With Antonio Banderas.
JC: Sobre as túas fantasías eróticas. IA: Con Antonio Banderas.
Moderator: I was just wondering if you have anything more to share.
JC: Simplemente me estaba pregunando se tiñas algo máis que compartir.
IA: Well, one of them is that — (Laughter) One of them is that I place a naked Antonio Banderas on a Mexican tortilla, I slather him with guacamole and salsa, I roll him up, and I eat him. (Laughter)
IA: Ben, unha delas é que -- (Risas) Unha delas é que poño un Antonio Banderas espido nunha tortilla mexicana, úntoo con guacamole e salsa, enróloo, e o como. (Risas)
Thank you.
Gracias.
(Applause)
(Aplausos)