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 courseyou 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 havemotivated 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 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 courseyou 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 havemotivated 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 campusicon 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 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.
Over the course of the year, Rose became a campusicon 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 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.
These words have been passed along in loving
memory of ROSE.
REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY.
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.........
"Good friends are like stars.........
You don't always see them,
but you know they are always there."
Comments
And in order to have friends, really good friends, one must first be a really good friend.
If you want to be loved, be loving
If you want to have friends, be friendly, and so on.
I enjoyed this inspirational story of an inspiring woman. I believe, that ultimately it is in the small movements, the way we treat each other one-on-one, day in and day out, that sets the quality of our relationships. To me, every one is a human becoming first, and I want to try to remember to treat the people I meet every day in a way that honors this. Rose is an excellant model for this... Thanks for sharing her story way,
We have all been conditioned to think we must follow a particular format in order to become successful in life.
Children are taught from very young that they need to further their education, which means go to college, get a degree, study, study, study. Families place a great deal of emphasis on what neighborhood they live in, (most of them purchase "trophy" houses that they cannot really afford). Then they must have the big fancy SUV, (new of course) and they must continually discard their clothing, furniture, etc, and get the newest and best. Labels and brands are most important. At work they are conditioned that they must work very long hours and never complain, because if they don't, there are many others who will be happy to take their place.
Then they spend an enormous amount of time commuting back and forth to work. They drive with their cell phones attached to their ears, and conduct personal business and touch base with family and friends while driving. Their children MUST be involved in sports, after school activities, dance, gymnastics, martial arts, etc, and all their spare time is also consumed between these activities and homework. The families are so busy they seldom can ever all sit down together and share a meal, so they eat fast food or take out. Weekends are spent cleaning house, washing the car, taking care of the yard, doing laundry, grocery shopping for convenience foods that can be eaten without much preparation.
Everyone is stressed, including the children. But this behavior is accepted as "normal". We have all been brainwashed that this is what is necessary in order to be successful.
Now some people awake from this nightmare and realize that they have been "had", and that their way of life is not living, and that all the money and material possessions have not purchased happiness. The kids are way too spoiled, from having everything handed to them and not having to work for any of it. They are disrespectful to their parents, and there is no family cohesiveness.
Some of them learn to listen to the small voice within which has been protesting about this way of living. Maybe they thought they were having a heart attack like my sister, only to find out after a trip to the emergency room that it was "only stress".
We as a people have forgotten that the simplest pleasures in life bring the most happiness. Getting together to share a meal with family or friends. Walking in the woods or the country. Sitting on the beach listening and watching the waves roll in. Going outside at night and looking at the stars. (If you can see the stars at all with all the city street lights.)
We have smothered the child within. We need to listen to the child, but with the wisdom which only comes with maturity. The immature child greedily wants all those material things, but does not realize the high cost involved in getting them. The mature child realizes that a life that matters is where one realizes we are all connected, and that living simply and sharing with others and helping others is what really truly satisfies the soul. I vote for growing older, but not "growing up" if it means selling my soul.
And in order to have friends, really good friends, one must first be a really good friend.