Every morning without fail, there is a lady wearing yellow boots, a blue jacket and a colourful beret sitting outside Steveston’s Waves Coffee, sipping on a hot cup of coffee.
That person is Pauline Scott, who just celebrated her 101st birthday.
An early riser, Scott wakes up every morning at 7:30 a.m., has a quick bite, then heads out with her walker for her morning 40-minute stroll from the Maple Residences to Steveston.
“I go for a coffee, and if I meet some of my coffee friends then we talk for quite a long time,” said Scott, adding she enjoys meeting other community members who pass by her when she’s outside.
“I like to sit outside because I love to absorb the Egyptian sun.”
When she’s done, she goes on a short stroll around Steveston Village before heading home.
Scott told the Richmond News that walking every day is the best way for her to exercise and move her body.
“The only time I don’t like going out is if there’s snow, because I have a vehicle (walker) to push ahead of me,” she said.
“It’s hard to push your walker in the snow. Thankfully, we hardly ever have snow here, so I don’t worry too much.”
Exercising is one of two strict routines she has set for herself, the other being what she eats.
Her secret to staying healthy, Scott said, all comes down to onions.
“I read what two doctors wrote in the newspaper a long time ago, and they said if you eat onions, you’ll never be sick. I’ve followed that advice ever since.”
And, no, it’s not cooked nor caramelized onions that she eats. It’s a raw onion sandwich.
“It’s my favourite sandwich,” said Scott with a big smile, adding that she has no “care for meat sandwiches.”
“I also dislike anything sweet. I think today, too many oldsters and even youngsters, they eat way too much sweet things and sugar is just that bad for you.”
Scott was born in 1922 and was raised on a farm in Saskatchewan, which made her accustomed to “eating plainly.”
After leaving the farm, she worked for the Canadian army in Whitehorse as part of the Canadian militia for seven years before moving to Richmond.
While Scott said she’s not a fan of travelling, she wishes she could have visited her parents' homeland — Ukraine.
“I would have loved to visit where my mother and dad were born, but it’s a dangerous place right now.”
Scott told the News that one, or a few, of her treasured items are her seven different coloured berets and the books she reads.
“It’s important to keep your head warm at all times, but also it looks great!”
She added she loves to enjoy a good book. A couple of her favourite authors include Romeo Dallaire and James Hubbard.
When asked what the key to living a happy and healthy life is, Scott said one word — kindness.
“You have to know that word to be successful in life.”
