The Rose - "... we grow old because we stop playing."
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,
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 non-stop. 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 y ear 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.
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.
When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of
advice
to your friends and family, they'll really enjoy it!
These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.
REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.
We make a Living by what we get, we make a Life by what we
give.
"Good friends are like stars ... You don't always see them, but
you
know they are always there."
