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 round 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 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 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.
By
Estefanina Martinez Melendez
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