May Mundt a Biography

Chapter Six We go through the present blindfolded... Only later, when the blindfold is removed and we examine the past, do we realise what we've been through and understand what it means. Milan Kundera Wisdom in Hindsight – What We Learn from Life As this biography of Esma Mundt comes to a close, it is difficult not to be impressed by the quiet perseverance and optimism of May. It would not be an exaggeration to say that life has not been easy for May. And of course, everyone in the family suffered. But here she is, at 98 years of age, strong, stoic, caring about her friends at the place she calls home now, thankful for her large and diverse family and equipped for the years ahead. It is my fervent wish that May does get to the ton and celebrates it with her family. Over the course of these interviews, I asked May what advice she had to give to others about this thing called life. Most importantly, May has never been negative about the cards life has dealt her. May tells me that she has her “down days”, the days where she is reluctant to wake and begin the day. But invariably she does. She greets the staff, remains interested about the welfare of her friends at the centre and remains the astute and quiet observer of life around her. They say that longevity can be attributed to a variety of factors, one being genetic makeup and then a host of other variables. But one factor does tend to come up over and over again. That is the power of positivity. This is what shines through most when I meet May; that is her curiosity, willingness to be open to possibilities and her innate positivity. Life has been bitter-sweet for May. She grew up in a beautiful part of the Queensland hinterland, she had a loving family but was estranged from her children at an early age and that had far-reaching repercussions. She had a sister

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