How old are you?
Have you ever thought about how old you are? Have you reached the ripe old age of 25, 50, 75 or even 100?
I met a lady last week who is 103. The funny thing was she didn't seem old. Now doesn't that seem strange?
How we came to meet a 103 year old lady.
You see my son was selected for a scholarship this year. The scholarship is funded by a lady in the name of her husband who died a few years ago. She actually gives one to a boy, and one to a girl. The criteria is they must be scholar/athletes.
This year my son was lucky enough to be the recipient of one of the scholarships.
When he received the award of the scholarship, it was accompanied by a letter with the address of the donor. It asked that you send her a thank-you to the nursing home where she resides. The letter was sent by the bank who handles the funds.
Upon receiving the letter, I told my son he should write the thank you letter. I then suggested he take the time to make a personal visit to the lady. He agreed that would be a good idea.
Going to the nursing home.
I called the nursing home to make sure it was okay to visit with the scholarship donor. They said it would be a great idea.
On the morning of the visit my son was tired. He had been up late the night before and was grumpy. He really didn't want to do anything that day, but it was getting time to get things ready for college and I didn't want him to put it off and not get it done.
When we got to the parking lot of the nursing home he was really in a bad mood. As we were getting out of the car, he made a statement that I wasn't too pleased with. He said, "I don't know why you always make me go above and beyond. Just sending a thank you like everyone else does is good enough."
Is just doing what is expected good enough?
My reply to him was, "you are the person you are today because you have always gone above and beyond and not settled for good enough." He said, "Okay, but we are only going to stay a few minutes. I will meet her, tell her thank you, and then we are leaving." We walked on into the nursing home and were just a little ticked with each other.
We stopped at the desk and told them what we were there for. Several of the employees came in to see the "scholarship recipient". They were excited that he had come to see the lady.
They said she is amazing. Just wait until you meet her. I didn't know her age at the time. They told us she was 103. My son and I were both imaging this really old, feeble lady.
Well, we were both very surprised. We didn't meet an old person, we met a young person in an old body. We both understood how she had lived to the age of 103. She was still excited about life. My son walked into her room and introduced himself and leaned over and took her hand and gave her a hug. She was so excited to see him.
She wanted to know all about his interests and about him as a person. She told him about her husband. She showed him pictures of her family when she was young. He asked her lots of questions. They became friends in a matter of minutes. She gave him her email address (did I mention she is 103), and yes she has email. She is a very intelligent woman, has traveled extensively, and has an interest in many things. Her room was decorated with original artwork. She had made her room in the nursing home into a beautiful home.
We had been there for a while when I asked my son if we needed to go because he had to work later that day. He said no, we have plenty of time. We stayed for over an hour, and then I said we really should go, or he was going to be late for work. We said our goodbyes. My son promised to email her throughout the school year and let her know what was going on with him.
Lessons learned.
On the way to the car, I asked my son, "Are you glad you came?" He responded, "Yes, and thanks for making me go above and beyond. I learned when you go above and beyond, you get way more in return. I could have missed meeting someone as special as her."
Age is just a number.
My son made a new friend that day. A young man of 18 was excited about making a friendship with a lady of 103. Age was not an issue. An excitement about life was what brought the two of them together. Some people give that excitement up at a much younger age and others carry it as long as they are breathing. I laughed when she said she was almost twice my age. I said to her it's not many people that make me feel young anymore. I felt so young being with her that day. I am only 58. I may have a lifetime ahead of me!
What's your age?
Are you staying young? Are you searching for new things to inspire you? Do you still have a sense of wonder? These are the things that keep you young your entire life. Take time to look for things that excite you. Meet new people. Talk to people of all different ages, they can add so much to your life.
It is also important to keep your body young by staying healthy and exercising. When you feel physically well, you are much better mentally.
Are you still young?
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