To the Young from the Old

Robert Taylor

A 28-year-old asked his dying 83-year-old grandfather what advice he would leave him. He boiled his response down to three things:

• “If I knew I was gonna live this long, I would have taken better care of myself.”

• “The right job is the job you love some days and can tolerate most days and still pays the bills. Almost nobody has a job they love every day.”

• “My family is the only thing I care about anymore. Remember that.”

Karl Pillemer of Cornell University studied 1200 people aged 70 to 100+. He asked them what lessons they would convey to the young?

The top response was “Life is short.”

It’s not meant to depress but to enlighten. Once you discover your time on earth is limited, you choose better.

To the young, the older instructs, “Make better choices.

• Select the right mate. They will shape your life.

• Protect your marriage. It’s more important than work, hobbies, or personal passions.

• Find true friends. (Someone defined that as someone who comes when you call at 2 in the morning. Everyone is an acquaintance.)

The old man Solomon would add to that.

Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them.” (Ecclesiastes 12:11)

In short, the message is clear for the young. Find God and live for him and find someone in your life to help you do that. When you do that, wrinkles don’t matter.