Who do you want to be when you grow old?

How do you envision your life as you grow older? Who are the older people in your life who inspire you? For Jeanette Woods, NewsWorks community media editor, her godmother, Ida Ghee, is a constant source of inspiration.

At the age of 85, Ida Ghee is positive, full of energy, and always busy. The West Oak Lane resident worked in manufacturing all of her life but is retired now. She is widowed and has one son.

Ghee is a block captain; she volunteers in her neighborhood and church; and she is passionate about making her neighborhood a better place for all of its residents.

“I am going out and talking to people and trying to encourage them to do things right,” said Ghee.

She was interviewed by her goddaughter, Jeanette Woods, community media editor for NewsWorks. Woods wanted to interview Ghee because she is one of the most positive, determined women she knows.

How do you see your life as you growolder? Who are the older peoplewho inspire you? Tell us below.

“She refuses to give in to self-doubt and feels it is everyone’s responsibility to look after their neighbor,” said Woods about her godmother.

“I’m always amused that, at 85, she volunteers at the senior citizens center to help ‘older people,'” Woods adds.

Ghee still drives (she doesn’t go “foolish places — just to church and the store) and has a very busy life. She says that family members often worry that she does too much, that she will tire herself out. Her response is usually something like “I intend to wear out, not sit around and rust.”

Woods says her godmother inspires her to live fully.

“Whenever I stop, God will be the one to stop me. I am not stopping on my own,” said Ghee.