Centurian (Centenarian)

I'm laughing! I just read a quote from George Burns -

"If you live to be one hundred, you've got it made. Very few people die past that age."

I watched a program on TV about the growing population of centurians. (I don't know how to spell the word. Is it new and my computer dictionary isn't recognizing the word? I'm going off the root 'century'.) We were in a hotel and Dawson was switching the channel, but I told him I wanted to see what their quality of life was.

It was people who still had something they wanted to do, to wake up for. Like a scientist was still walking to the college campus he had worked at--them letting him still do lab work. An artist, saying she still had pictures in her imagination she wanted to paint. A cook still having recipes wanting to try.

It speaks loudly of what motivates us and fuels us throughout life. What is 'retirement'? Is that a time to sit in the rocker and check out on life? Do we desire to keep learning? try new things? maybe go new places?