Health tops Leilua’s priorities

By Ilia L. Likou 01 December 2017, 12:00AM

A leader sets good examples for his followers. 

And 50-year-old father and grandfather, Leilua Leilua of Toamua, is no stranger to leading and setting good examples for his children and grandchildren. 

This is why he continues to carry out his daily chores to ensure he stays healthy. 

When the Village Voice team met him yesterday, he was working on his garden in front of their house.

 “There’s a saying that old people are never too old to exercise and that’s true,” Leilua said.

 “This is my life every day and leading by example is very important to everyone not only for my family but for my children.

“If we give them a sheet and pillow every day, then they’ll continue that when they become adults and they’ll end up somewhere else.”

Leilua said although it was odd to see someone his age working, he long ago realised that this was the only way his children would be able to learn. 

If they see him continuing with his chores, they will also do the same. 

“If parents are healthy, they will live in harmony as well.” 

Leilua says the right path to guiding his children was through love. 

He added as a youth, he helped his parents with daily chores and he rarely disobeyed them. 

“You know back in those days we didn’t have the different tools we have today to weed the garden and cut the grass so we mainly used our old tools – our hands,” Leilua said. 

“Unlike today, if a parent tells his child to weed the plantation using their own hands, they end up crying somewhere but that’s us back in the days.

“That’s the life we were brought up in and while doing those chores at the same time we were staying fit and healthy.” 

Although he agrees it is simple, he believes that there are many different important aspects that come with it.

 “That’s the truth and we need to work on it. Some elderly people think that it’s time to rest at home all day but we need to get out of the house and do a little exercise like picking up rubbish, weeding the garden, it doesn’t have to be hard work.

“We need to work on it every day, not just one day.”

He attributes his health to his daily routine and chores. 

By Ilia L. Likou 01 December 2017, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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