Pere Quintana is about to blow out the candles on his 109th birthday and can proudly say that he has developed an extensive career as a pharmacist in Barcelona. Now he is enjoying his well-deserved retirement with a peculiarity that he explained in an interview for The Vanguard. He highlights that he has been retired for longer than he has been active and ironically states that his longevity is “a failure for the State”, ironically about the pension system and Social Security contributions.
By this he means that if there were many more retirees with his age, the current pension system would no longer be sustainable. He has been contributing for 37 years, in a pharmacy, “as I have been living for so long, I have been retired without working for more years than I have spent working… this is a failure for the State. Social Security would not be sustained!”, he jokingly stated.
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To those who ask him how he manages to reach his current age in perfect condition, both physically and mentally, he always answers the same thing. “There is no secret or magic formula to reach my age.” “I have lost friends and family, but I have taken it calmly. Death is part of life. The important thing is to keep the love that you have given and that you have received.”
“I took care of my wife for 23 years”
One of the memories that moves him is that of his wife, who suffered a stroke and had to be treated for 23 years. “She was very young and I took care of her during that time, it was complicated, but I accepted because true love is shown in these moments.”
He has four children and always remembers his partner with emotion. “Love is company, it taught me to respect, to be a man in the full sense.” The family has become a fundamental pillar for him. “Affection changes form but never disappears,” he explains when he remembers the love of his children and grandchildren.
His recipe for longevity is infallible and although it requires some sacrifice, it has been proven to work. “Moderation and humor, you have to eat little, worry less and laugh more, even at yourself.”
He points out that he had (and continues to have) many of his hobbies, among which music stands out. “I learned to love it since I was little, at home it was normal. My father sang well and did it often, he was a tenor, and when there was a piano nearby, he played it.”
“Reaching my age is not a merit, it is a gift”
The pharmacist is clear that “living so long is not a merit, it is a gift, but you have to know how to enjoy it with humor and good music.” “Living well means being well with your family and having your finances in order, I knew that from a young age. We were 10 siblings, so harmony at home was essential. We didn’t lead a fantastic life, but enough to live it calmly.”
“I think that living so many years is pure coincidence, they ask me this often and I always answer that there is no magic formula.” One of the questions that he has had to answer the most is related to sports. “When they tell me what sport I have played, I always answer none, I have never done gymnastics, I didn’t like soccer or going on excursions, I have lived a calm and quiet life,” he concludes.