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The
first day of school our professor
introduced himself and challenged us
t
o 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
years 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!
GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY,
GROWING
UP IS OPTIONAL.
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