Never too old

[Guest guest]

I hope you enjoy this,

Emaho,,,,,,,JacquiHi!

 

A great reminder to live life in the Dream.

 

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 around 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,

have a couple of children, and then retire and travel."

 

"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 this 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 the 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. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in

tribute to

the

wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be

all you can possibly be.

 

If you read this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your

friends and family, they'll really enjoy it! We send these words in

loving

memory of ROSE.

 

Remember, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY, GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.

 

Gyalsang