エルシー・アイルレットの物語
Welcome to the Deep Dive.
Today we're looking into, well, a really remarkable American story.
It sort of challenges how we think about community, maybe purpose, too.
Absolutely. Our mission here is to unpack the extraordinary life of Elsie Eilert.
She's 92 years old, lives in Minnowie, Nebraska.
Right. And the truly amazing part.
She is the only person living there. The entire town. Just her.
One person. It's hard to really picture,
but the sources say she isn't lonely.
That's the core of it. You know, the idea of being alone versus feeling lonely.
Yeah, what's the difference there, really? Physically alone, emotionally lonely.
Exactly. Alone is just, well, her physical situation in Minnowie. No one else is there.
But lonely is that sad feeling, right? Feeling disconnected.
And Elsie doesn't feel that way.
Seems not. Her life is apparently quite full of purpose.
She's made choices. She's engaged with her world, small as it is.
Okay, so let's talk about Minnowie itself. It wasn't always like this, was it?
Oh, not at all. Back in the 1930s,
it was pretty lively, over 150 people.
Wow, 150. What was it like then?
It had a train station, restaurants, you know, shops.
ミノウィの唯一の住民
Real small town hub, but like a lot of rural places.
People drifted away.
Yeah, slowly faded. Then the big moment, 2004,
her husband, Rudy, passed away.
And that left her as the only one?
Officially the last resident.
Yeah.
And, you know, she could have left, but she chose to stay.
She actually said, I chose to stay here after my husband died. It's home.
That really says something. And here's where it gets, well, almost unbelievable.
Right. She is Minnowie.
She's the mayor.
The mayor, the accountant, the secretary, all of it.
How does that even work? Elections.
Well, she holds one every year. And guess who she votes for?
Herself.
Yep. She even jokes about it. Said something like,
I'm the whole thing. There's no need for any elections.
I'd be the only one to vote.
Ha, that's brilliant. She's got a sense of humor about it.
Definitely.
And apparently when a reporter called her smart, rich and young joking,
of course she jumped right in with, and the oldest.
Love that. Okay. So beyond being the entire government, what else does she do?
She runs the Minnowie Tavern six days a week.
The only business.
The only one. Serves coffee, drinks, makes her own burgers. And people actually come.
図書館と地域社会の関わり
Oh, yeah. Get this from over 60 countries and every single U.S. state.
They come just to visit her, have a chat.
That's incredible. So she's not isolated in that sense?
Not at all. And there's more, right? A library.
Yes. The Rudy Eiler Memorial Library. Her husband started it, collected about 5,000 books.
She's the librarian, too.
So her daily routine is pretty simple.
Seems like it. Walks from home, to the tavern, to the library, reads novels from the library.
She pays taxes?
Uh-huh. To herself, essentially. As the mayor, she collects the taxes she pays as a resident.
And that money actually does something.
It keeps the town's three streetlights working and the water system running.
It's this perfect little loop.
So when you put it all together, this life she's built, she said, I'm happy here.
Yeah. This is where I want to be here or I wouldn't stay here.
It just cuts right through, doesn't it?
It really does. It perfectly shows that alone but not lonely idea, right?
Exactly. Her happiness isn't about having crowds around.
It's about her engagement with her place, her purpose.
The visitors, the tavern, the library, even being the mayor.
孤独の再定義
It all gives her connection and meaning.
She's actively shaping her solitude into something fulfilling.
It kind of challenges what we think we need to be happy.
Helsey Hyler's story, it's just full of this quiet strength, isn't it?
And, well, a deep love for her home.
And purpose. She chose this path. Lives it with humor, conviction.
Looking at the bigger picture, what does her life maybe show us?
Well, maybe that real happiness isn't always about being surrounded by people all the time.
It could be about finding joy right where you are.
Exactly. Finding satisfaction in what you do.
Connecting in ways that work for you, even if they're different.
So thinking about Elsie, what part of her story really stands out to you?
What does home mean in your life?
And how do you find happiness on your own path?
Yeah, definitely something to think about.
Some food for thought until our next deep dive.
