“When I tell my roommates and my grandchildren, they’ll freak out and, well, they’ll probably say I’m crazy, but Madness gives freedom». Such was Pilar’s happiness, as soon as she landed after her flight with a parachute (the device that… … Combines the thrill of paragliding with the stability of a motorized tricycle) in the region of Sabinanejo (Huesca). After a very well-lived life, this woman was happy to have had a new experience, radical even for her youngest, where she had an “extraordinary” time and was “not afraid at all.”
Maria Pilar Pallas, 84 years old, has proven that age is no limit to making dreams come true. On the contrary, he emphasizes: “As long as we are here, in this world, we can discover new things and have fun. I have traveled the world, done many things, and now I am in another stage of my life, but I am open to experiences that will continue, and I will even go to the moon,” she warns, on the other end of the phone, in a voice much younger than her age, and this, without a doubt, reveals her attitude towards life.
She was, in fact, the only one from the residence of Albertia Valdepartera (Zaragoza), where she had resided for about a year, who came forward when the opportunity arose for paragliding. Thus, thanks to the suggestion of the Adopt-a-Grandpa Foundation and Civitatis, Pallas had an adventure he would never forget.
The day started with clear skies and a smile that lit up everything. From the moment she put on the helmet, Pilar was in the clear. “I was always very adventurous, I climbed mountains, I traveled…and now, at 84, I would be no less.” Completely a declaration of intent upon takeoff. Minutes later, with the wind in their faces and the mountainous landscape stretching out beneath their feet, excitement turned to happiness.
“The boy who drove it had a phone and was warning me: ‘Pilar, you might impress me when you leave,’” he says. “If you feel bad, tell me, and we’ll come down.” Later, when he went up, he said to me: “Look, we are going to get close to the mountain, but we will not climb it” or “We will go down so that our comrades can see us.” They took pictures of us, I had a good time and I didn’t feel stressed at any time. Quite the opposite: I was very calm and the impression during the trip was very good. Above all, what caught my attention most was the silence there.
“People say to me: How brave! But you don’t have to be very brave to do this. “No, it’s not a big deal…” he admits modestly, recalling with a laugh how “they helped me into the seat because I couldn’t sit down, but once I was seated, and they tied my legs and arms, I had a great time.” She would recommend people her age to encourage them and try new things: “As long as you’re alive, enjoy everything you can.”
Pilar’s desire to live is also evident in everything that happens in the residence. “I go to the courses they offer, I participate in all the activities I can, and I never get bored.” Here, he points out, “There are many people who do not move from the sofa. But a new resident has come who practices “line dancing” in Pamplona with whom I will try to introduce this activity among classmates, even if he is sitting, holding a chair, a bar or a walker. Let’s see if we spread a little joy. He came with an impressive music device, and I know all the songs. We have already done the first tests. I encourage them, because it seems that people of a certain age become afraid or wary, but while you are Here, on Earth, you have to seize this moment.
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