Isabel Allende: How to live passionately—no matter your age | TED

Translator: Cristina Vega Reviewer: Alicia Ferreiro

Hi, kids.

Ola, rapaces.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

I'm 71.

Teño 71 anos.

(Applause)

(Aplausos)

My husband is 76.

O meu home ten 76.

My parents are in their late 90s,

Os meus pais están no final dos 90

and Olivia, the dog, is 16.

e Olivia, a cadela, ten 16.

So let's talk about aging.

Falemos entón de envellecer.

Let me tell you how I feel

Direivos como me sinto

when I see my wrinkles in the mirror

cando vexo as miñas engurras no espello

and I realize that some parts of me have dropped

e doume de conta que algunhas partes de min caeron

and I can't find them down there.

e non as podo atopar, alá abaixo.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

Mary Oliver says in one of her poems,

Mary Oliver di nun dos seus poemas,

"Tell me, what is it that you plan to do

"Dime, que é o que pensas facer

with your one wild and precious life?"

coa túa única salvaxe e preciada vida?"

Me, I intend to live passionately.

Eu, pretendo vivir apaixonadamente.

When do we start aging?

¿Cando comezamos a envellecer?

Society decides when we are old,

As sociedades deciden cando somos vellos,

usually around 65, when we get Medicare,

normalmente ao redor dos 65, cando nos dan Medicare

but we really start aging at birth.

pero en realidade comezamos a envellecer cando nacemos.

We are aging right now,

Estamos envellecendo agora mesmo,

and we all experience it differently.

e todos o experimentamos dunha maneira distinta.

We all feel younger than our real age,

Todos nos sentimos máis novos da nosa idade real,

because the spirit never ages.

porque o espírito nunca envellece.

I am still 17.

Eu todavía teño 17 anos.

Sophia Loren. Look at her.

Sophia Loren. Mírena.

She says that everything you see

Di que todo o que vedes

she owes to spaghetti.

llo debe aos espaguetis.

I tried it and gained 10 pounds

Eu intenteino e engordei 4 kilos

in the wrong places.

nos lugares equivocados.

But attitude, aging is also attitude and health.

Pero actitude, envellecer e tamén actitude e saúde.

But my real mentor in this journey of aging

Pero a miña mentora nesta viaxe de envellecer

is Olga Murray.

é Olga Murray.

This California girl at 60

Esta moza californiana aos 60

started working in Nepal to save young girls

comezou a traballar en Nepal para salvar a rapazas novas

from domestic bondage.

da escravitude doméstica.

At 88, she has saved 12,000 girls,

Aos 88, ten salvado a 12.000 rapazas,

and she has changed the culture in the country.

e cambiado a cultura no país.

(Applause)

(Aplausos)

Now it is illegal for fathers

Agora é ilegal que os pais

to sell their daughters into servitude.

vendan as súas fillas para a servidume.

She has also founded orphanages

Tamén fundou orfanatos

and nutritional clinics.

a clínicas nutricionais.

She is always happy

Sempre está feliz

and eternally young.

e eternamente nova.

What have I lost in the last decades?

¿Que perdín nas últimas décadas?

People, of course,

Xente, por suposto,

places, and the boundless energy of my youth,

lugares, e a enerxía inesgotable da miña xuventude,

and I'm beginning to lose independence,

e estou empezando a perder independencia,

and that scares me.

e iso dame medo.

Ram Dass says that dependency hurts,

Ram Dass di que a dependencia manca,

but if you accept it, there is less suffering.

pero si a aceptas, hai menos sufrimento.

After a very bad stroke,

Despois dun mal derrame,

his ageless soul watches the changes

a súa alma sen idade ve os cambios

in the body with tenderness,

do corpo con tenrura,

and he is grateful to the people who help him.

e está agradecido á xente que o axudou.

What have I gained?

¿Que gañei?

Freedom: I don't have to prove anything anymore.

Liberdade: xa non teño que demostrar nada.

I'm not stuck in the idea of who I was,

Non estou anclada na idea de quen fun,

who I want to be,

quen quero ser,

or what other people expect me to be.

ou que espera a xente que sexa.

I don't have to please men anymore,

Xa non teño que compracer aos homes,

only animals.

só aos animais.

I keep telling my superego to back off

Non paro de dicirlle ao meu super ego que retroceda

and let me enjoy what I still have.

e me deixe desfutar o que aínda teño.

My body may be falling apart,

Pode que o meu corpo se estea a desbaratar,

but my brain is not, yet.

pero a miña cabeza non, aínda.

I love my brain.

Encántame o meu cerebro.

I feel lighter.

Síntome máis lixeira.

I don't carry grudges, ambition, vanity,

Non cargo con rencor, ambición, vanidade,

none of the deadly sins that are not even

ningún dos pecados capitais

worth the trouble.

que nin sequera pagan a pena.

It's great to let go.

É xenial deixar ir.

I should have started sooner.

Debería ter empezado antes.

And I also feel softer

Tamén me sinto máis blanda

because I'm not scared of being vulnerable.

porque non me asusta ser vulnerable.

I don't see it as weakness anymore.

Xa non o vexo como unha debilidade.

And I've gained spirituality.

E gañei espiritualidade.

I'm aware that before,

Son consciente de que antes,

death was in the neighborhood.

a morte estaba no barrio.

Now, it's next door, or in my house.

Agora, está ao lado, ou na miña casa.

I try to live mindfully

Procuro vivir conscientemente

and be present in the moment.

e estar presente no momento.

By the way, the Dalai Lama

Por certo, o Dalai Lama

is someone who has aged beautifully,

é alguén que envelleceu marabillosamente,

but who wants to be vegetarian and celibate?

pero quen quere ser vexetariano e célibe?

(Laughter)

(Risas)

Meditation helps.

A meditación axuda.

(Video) Child: Ommm. Ommm. Ommm.

(Video) Neno: Ommmm. Ommm. Ommmm.

Isabel Allende: Ommm. Ommm. There it is.

Isabel Allende: Ommm. Ommm. Ahí o tedes.

And it's good to start early.

E é bo empezar pronto.

You know, for a vain female like myself,

Sabedes, para unha muller vaidosa coma min,

it's very hard to age in this culture.

é moi dificil envellecer nesta cultura.

Inside, I feel good, I feel charming, seductive, sexy.

Por dentro, síntome ben, síntome encantadora, seductora, sexy.

Nobody else sees that. (Laughter)

Ninguén máis ve iso. (Risas)

I'm invisible.

Son invisible.

I want to be the center of attention.

Quero ser o centro de atención.

I hate to be invisible.

Odio ser invisible.

(Laughter) (Applause)

(Risas) (Aplausos)

This is Grace Dammann.

Esta é Grace Dammann.

She has been in a wheelchair for six years

Leva seis anos nunha cadeira de rodas

after a terrible car accident.

despois dun terrible accidente de coche.

She says that there is nothing more sensual

Di que non hai nada máis sensual

than a hot shower,

que unha ducha quente,

that every drop of water

que cada gota de auga

is a blessing to the senses.

é unha bendición para os sentidos.

She doesn't see herself as disabled.

Non se ve como unha discapacitada.

In her mind, she's still surfing in the ocean.

Na súa mente, ela aínda esta surfeando no océano.

Ethel Seiderman, a feisty, beloved activist

Ethel Seiderman, unha loitadora e querida activista

in the place where I live in California.

no lugar onde vivo en California.

She wears red patent shoes,

Leva zapatos vermellos,

and her mantra is that one scarf is nice

e o seu mantra é que unha bufanda está ben

but two is better.

pero dúas están mellor.

She has been a widow for nine years,

Leva nove anos viúva,

but she's not looking for another mate.

pero non está a buscar outro compañeiro.

She says that there is only a limited number

Di que hai só un número limitado

of ways you can screw —

de maneiras de meter a pata

well, she says it in another way —

-- ben, ela dío doutra maneira --

and she has tried them all.

e xa as probou todas.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

I, on the other hand,

Eu, por outra parte,

I still have erotic fantasies with Antonio Banderas —

aínda teño fantasías eróticas con Antonio Banderas

(Laughter) —

(Risas)

and my poor husband has to put up with it.

E o meu pobre marido ten que apandar con iso.

So how can I stay passionate?

Entón ¿como podo manterme apaixonada?

I cannot will myself to be passionate at 71.

Non chega querer ser apaixonada aos 71.

I have been training for some time,

Estiven adestrando un dende hai tempo,

and when I feel flat and bored, I fake it.

e cando me sinto desanimada e aburrida, finxo.

Attitude, attitude.

Actitude, actitude.

How do I train? I train by saying yes

¿Como entreno? Entreno dicindo que si

to whatever comes my way:

a todo o que veña:

drama, comedy, tragedy,

drama, comedia, traxedia,

love, death, losses.

amor, morte, pérdidas.

Yes to life.

Si á vida.

And I train by trying to stay in love.

E entreno tratando de permanecer namorada.

It doesn't always work,

Non sempre funciona,

but you cannot blame me for trying.

pero non poden culparme por intentalo.

And, on a final note,

E, como nota final,

retirement in Spanish is jubilación.

a retirada laboral en español é jubilación.

Jubilation. Celebration.

Xúbilo. Celebración.

We have paid our dues.

Pagamos as nosas débedas.

We have contributed to society.

Contribuímos á sociedade.

Now it's our time, and it's a great time.

Agora é o noso tempo, e é un tempo fantástico.

Unless you are ill or very poor,

A non ser que esteas enfermo, ou sexas moi pobre

you have choices.

tes opcións.

I have chosen to stay passionate,

Eu elexín manterme apaixonada,

engaged with an open heart.

comprometida cun corazón aberto.

I am working on it every day.

Estou a traballar niso cada día.

Want to join me?

¿Queredes unirvos?

Thank you.

Gracias.

(Applause)

(Aplausos)

June Cohen: So Isabel — IA: Thank you.

June Cohen: Entón Isabel -- IA: Gracias.

JC: First of all,

JC: Primeiro de todo,

I never like to presume to speak for the TED community,

Nunca me gusta supoñer que falo pola comunidade TED,

but I would like to tell you that I have a feeling

Pero quixera dicirche que teño o sentimento

we can all agree that you are still charming,

de que estamos todos de acordo que aínda eres encantadora,

seductive and sexy. Yes?

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

JC: Agora, ¿sería raro

if I asked you a follow-up question about your erotic fantasies?

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)

IA: Ben, unha delas é que -- (Risas)

One of them is that I place a naked Antonio Banderas

Unha delas é que poño un Antonio Banderas espido

on a Mexican tortilla,

nunha tortilla mexicana,

I slather him with guacamole and salsa,

úntoo con guacamole e salsa,

I roll him up, and I eat him. (Laughter)

enróloo, e o como. (Risas)

Thank you.

Gracias.

(Applause)

(Aplausos)