Lifestyle

9/11/2017 | By Terri L. Jones

Just because you have some grandkids and a few wrinkles doesn’t mean you have to give up your dreams and aspirations … whatever they may be. Just ask Mary Ho. In August, the 81-year-old from Singapore played a mean electric guitar for 25,000-plus spectators at the country’s annual National Day Parade.

As a child, Mary wanted to learn to play guitar, but guitar playing was a hobby reserved for boys in those days. When she turned 60, she decided it was time to make her dreams come true. Although she didn’t read music, she signed up for lessons and practiced so hard that her fingers bled. The bandages set her back for a few days but she pushed forward.

After a couple of decades of fine-tuning her skills—and transitioning from the acoustic to the electric guitar—Mary now has an album, fans all over the world, thanks to a YouTube uploaded to the Internet by one of her grandchildren, and has even met the legendary Carlos Santana. After all, listening to Santana’s classic “Samba Pa Ti” is what inspired Mary to learn to play the guitar in the first place.

In a story on the Asia One website, Mary is quoted as saying: “We need to do something that we love. If you love something, you will definitely go and do it and in the end, you will be very happy.”

Mary Ho certainly isn’t the only senior who has pursued a dream or continuing doing what they loved despite their age. Check out Seniors Got Talent, the annual online video contest sponsored by the Seniors Guide, to see the extraordinary talents of other amazing seniors, and share your talents too!

Terri L. Jones

Terri L. Jones has been writing educational and informative topics for the senior industry for over ten years, and is a frequent and longtime contributor to Seniors Guide.

Terri Jones