An elderly Los Angeles fires victim who lost her home and all her possessions went viral after sharing her inspiring perspective on the tragedy.
Ruth Judkins, who turns 90 in less than a month, said she plans to ‘live simply’ after losing everything except a change of clothes and her beloved dog Louie.
‘I know I don’t need all those things,’ she told KTLA. ‘Everything is going to be downsized. I don’t need two closets full of clothes. I need one.’
Ruth’s positive outlook went viral on social media this week after her granddaughter, lifestyle blogger Xochitl Renteln, shared an Instagram video of her reaction to losing all her possessions.
‘I’m going to be changing my life and simplifying it,’ she said. ‘I don’t need all this stuff, I know it’s not important.
‘I don’t mean I won’t have fun and enjoy myself, but I won’t just go buy stuff and I’ll think about it a lot.’
Ruth’s clip was picked up across the nation including by Good Morning America, as she said this week she has been living by her optimistic motto: ‘Warriors don’t worry. They figure it out.’
Her words of wisdom stand in stark contrast to a number of Hollywood celebrities who also lost their mansions in the fires, with reality star Heidi Montag sharing a clip of herself weeping after her family home burned down. Pop singer Mandy Moore also sparked fury by telling people to ‘F off’ after sharing a GoFundMe to help her brother who lost his home, even though she is worth $15 million.