This was just forwarded to me by a friend,....I thought some of you might
enjoy it as well, so I've sent it on to you.
It's great "food for thought"
-Doug
>>>>>------------> read on!
Old or Mature ? ...you choose
" 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
revelled 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 everyday.
You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so
manypeople 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
arethose 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! We send these words in loving
>memory of ROSE. " < < < <
Remember, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY, GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL!!!!
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