Marie-Louise Wirth is France’s 100-year-old Barmaid

"There's no point living to do nothing and see nothing." - Marie-Louise Wirth.

This quote may seem similar, just with a tad bit of difference from several other scholars. The real question is who is this mystery woman who has been quoted. Oh! She is definitely my inspiration dosage for this year. While we have just stepped into the year 2018, she has just become a centenarian. No, she is not a scholar, an actor or anything but a 100-year-old Barmaid in France.

Marie-Louise Wirth runs and owns a bar in Isbergues, France. She opens her bar at 8:15 am and kicks off her day with a glass of cherry brandy. (Just like the way old classic style)

BBC has documented Marie-Lou, as fondly called by the locals who might as well in history be the longest-serving bar woman. According to the documentary, Marie started working in 1932, at the age of 14 and has not yet retired. Gosh, 1932 – 2018, that’s a long time! She says, “I’ve been working behind the bar right from 1932 because during those times if you were young then you had to work. But nowadays you have to drag young people to work”.

Has Anything changed?

The bar hasn’t been renovated or redone even once. It has been the same for the last 50 years. It does not have beer pumps, coffee machines, internet, card and nothing modern at all. She also talks about how the world around her has changed. The changing numbers of factory workers, activities and changing lifestyle. She mentions that most of her customers have been there for a long time now. Furthermore, she talks about how she has seen most of them die before her. She smirks while asking “why would young people come to visit an old woman?” The said bar doesn’t even have any name.

In Marie’s own words, “If you have a good beer you don’t need a name”. And rightly so, her bar and the services are still a hit in the town.

The secret

While she saw a lot of her loyal customers getting buried, she also shared her secret to having a long life. The secret to her longevity she says is abstinence from milk, curd and fruits and consumption of alcohol in moderation. “I have water with food. And a glass of something else in moderation. If I had been a big drinker, I wouldn’t be here.” Says the sprightly Barwoman to BBC.

Alert: I’m sure all of you are in awe! This is exactly why I said that she is my inspiration for this year. It’s true how most of the kids of this generations needs to be dragged and forced to be productive. Hardly can I think of running a bar at 20! Being aged and still agile, is the quality that’s drawn all the right attention towards Marie. This short story is all about creating a positive impact on generations. While our lifespan has been reduced with the excessive human intervention on every front, waking up to such stories definitely reignites hope and happiness.

I’m totally charged up to work and so something, are you?

Pic: Credit: themalaymailonline.com

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Reshma Ganeshbabu is an intern with SheThePeople.TV