Not Too Old

 

I read about 66 year old Junko Sakai in the Asahi Shimbun online news. The 66 year old grandmother is the oldest person to ever qualify for the Miss Universe Japan contest. (September 25, 2005 edition, but I just found it).

She was born in Tokyo, and spent more than 30 years as a full-time homemaker, raising three daughters and a son. Now, she also has three grandchildren. Two years ago, she learned that the Miss Universe contest had no restrictions about age or marital status. Her husband and children encouraged her to enter the contest. 

She was chosen as one of 42 finalists to compete in the Japan Miss Universe Pageant. Wearing 16 cm heels, she competed with contestants who were one third of her age. She made it to the preliminary finals, but could not advance to the finals. 

She does not seem upset about not winning the overall contest, and is quoted as saying “I want people to believe that they can truly shine in their 60’s and beyond by going through experiences and learning.” While most of us probably don’t aspire to participate in a pageant, I think this is good advice.