A Great Story - And A Powerful Message
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged
us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look
around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.
I turned round to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.
She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?"
I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze.
"Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked.
She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids..."
"No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
"I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.
After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.
We
became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would
leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening
to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.
Over
the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made
friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the
attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it
up.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet.
I'll
never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to
the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her
three by five cards on the floor.
Frustrated and a little
embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry
I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and the whiskey is killing me!
I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I
know."
As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.
There
are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving
success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a
dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.
We have so many
people walking around who are dead and don't even know it! There is a
huge difference between growing older and growing up.
If you are
nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one
productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven
years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn
eighty-eight.
Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any
talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity
in change. Have no regrets.
The elderly usually don't have
regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only
people who fear death are those with regrets."
She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose."
She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.
At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.
One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.
PLEASE CONSIDER...
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PLEASE CONSIDER...
If the information on this site helps you and you'd like to make a donation to BeHappy101.com (to help make others happy), please click on the button below to make a contribution. The amount you donate is entirely up to you. A portion will used to contribute to the happiness of others and is greatly appreciated. [WHY DONATE?] |