Crossing the globe in search of unique experiences, Ruth Limtiaco has found happiness in new pursuits

Ruth Limtiaco is the epitome of joie de vivre. The CEO of TLC PR, a Honolulu public relations firm, is “72 years young” (as she puts it) and living life full speed ahead.

She went diving in Micronesia and paddled in the grueling Na Wahine o ke Kai Molokai-to-Oahu canoe race. A former competitive runner, she won five gold medals and a silver in 62-and-up age divisions in the 5K race of the Xterra Trail Running World Championship at Kualoa Ranch. Fueled by her passion for travel, she hiked in the Swiss Alps, canoed on a river in Ecuador, rode a horse in the Sahara outside Cairo and went on safaris in Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

“I think being active is in my DNA,” Limtiaco said. “It reminds me of how some shark species have to swim constantly in order to stay alive.”

She reserves at least an hour for physical activity every day, noting, “If I skip that, I feel off-kilter, like something is missing.” Tops on her list these days are yoga, walking, swimming, gym workouts, stand-up paddleboarding and horseback riding, which she took up in 2011 at age 65.

“I was watching ‘The Black Stallion’ on TV and recalled how much fun my daughter had when she rode at Koko Crater Stables in the early 1980s,” Limtiaco said. “So I jumped in my car and drove straight over there.”

While learning to ride, she fell eight times and endured a broken wrist, a pulled knee ligament and a rotator cuff tear that required surgery. A fall during a polo lesson put her leg in a brace for three months.

Even so, that has not diminished Limtiaco’s love for the sport. “As the saying goes, ‘Get back on the horse,’” she said. “Next year I’m going to Lipica, Slovenia, the origin of the famous Lipizzaners, to visit a stud farm and take riding lessons.”

Preparation for a monumental change in her life — the unexpected death of her husband in October 2001 — came in part through years of being a student of aikido, which taught her the value of mindfulness and meditation.

“It’s important to train your mind to be healthy, along with your body,” Limtiaco said. “Being still and being in the present moment are the keys to real happiness.”

Meditating just 20 minutes a day, she said, can clear the clutter and chatter from the mind, resulting in a calmer, more peaceful state of being. And it enables full participation in the enriching experiences that life offers.

“I’m certainly not the only woman who has pushed on after losing a cherished spouse,” Limtiaco said. “After my husband died I reached out to friends to keep busy: to see a movie, attend an art exhibit or just go out for dinner. I learned that there is only one person who’s responsible for your happiness: you.”

The first Christmas after her husband’s death, Limtiaco sent out holiday cards with a photo of her taken during a visit to Shanghai. “I was wearing a traditional Chinese bridal dress while seated in a palanquin,” she said. “I was grinning like crazy, and the message on the card said, ‘Joy is always possible.’”

Along with activities, Limtiaco has found joy through service (she’s on the board of the Pacific Aviation Museum and volunteers for Therapeutic Horsemanship of Hawaii).

In her view the path to a fulfilling life is simple: Welcome each day with gratitude. Spend quality time with loved ones. Be curious about the world around you. Keep an open mind and don’t be afraid to explore.

“There’s always something new to learn, to discover,” Limtiaco said. “I’ve taken lessons in ikebana and studied Chinese brush painting, and I’ve enrolled in a ceramics class. I read constantly and look for activities of interest. Things catch my eye, and I think, ‘Oh, that sounds interesting’ or ‘I’ve never done that before’ or ‘I’d love to learn more about this.’ And then I go out and do them, whether it’s here at home or in places far away.”