Life Regrets of 90 Year Olds

If you could speak to your 20-year-old self, what would you say? I'd say keep going, enjoy yourself, keep busy, just take life as it comes. Don't worry about too many problems, you can't solve them all yourself. I would decide that I wouldn't want to go back to 20 years of myself. I like my life the way it is, I don't want to go back. And I hear people say, oh, the good old days, oh, I wish I was back. I said, not me, I want to go forward and find out what it's going to be like. Forward, not backwards. I'm not a backwards person. I think the same thing that I did say to myself, and that is keep having fun while you're doing your life. Make sure you are honest about it. And don't expect to find everyone as you would like them to be. Every individual is each an individual, and each have their own pluses and minuses. Get up and do more. Go enjoy yourself more. I was a little afraid to do stuff and go out. I should have went out more. What do you mean by that? Go where? Go anywhere. Go on trips. I've never been to another country. I could have went to another country. It sort of scares me. I don't like flying. I don't even remember back that far. Twenty years old, I was still in college. I was married. I had one son. My best advice would be think twice before you marry a minister. It's a very demanding job. I'd say keep on this road. Keep going. Love everyone and just be happy with where you are. I'm probably going to freak out everybody, but pray. God's the only one that can change things. You can't change them if they're really bad, but he can in an instant. They think that once we're old, you can just shove us in a closet and we don't have any mind to think with. Some of us don't, but I've been very blessed in that I have my own mind and my own hearing and my own everything is still intact. It's no fun to get old, but I think it is. I think it is fun. You could cherish everything. Oh, growing old? It's worse than you think. If you don't have friends and people and you don't have your mind, I guess. What would you say to somebody who's afraid of growing old? You don't have a choice, so you might as well do the best you have. That's one thing that nobody can tell you, tell you if you can do it or not. They think it's hard. It isn't. It isn't hard at all. It's far too easy. What do you mean? Well, what I mean is that they think that life diminishes. It doesn't. It goes on exactly as you see it. And if I see it as diminished, then it is diminished. But I don't see it that way. I see it as life changes as we go. And it doesn't change a whole lot. You still have the same values. It's rather miraculous. I don't have longevity in my family. So for me to be 85, I've already outlived both of my parents. And I had a major, major fall last November. So that is why I am in this wonderful place. I never thought that I would live to see 85, to be quite honest. It's a God gift to me. What does it feel like to be 92? Same as always. Meaning I have plenty of energy and I can do anything I want to, almost. I don't run anymore. But, you know, age is only a number. If you think of yourself as being old, then you are. If you don't think of yourself as being old, then you are where you are. What does it feel like to be 97? I'm lucky because I felt twice. I broke my arm and wrist and side. And I'm able to do everything back again. And I'm fine. I don't have to go to a doctor for a year. I said, well, a year is a long time. Who knows where I'll be? Feels like an age. I have no idea. I've been through a heck of a lot in my age. You look amazing, by the way. You look amazing. What does it feel like to be 90? Nothing. If my legs worked, I would still be out working. But my legs don't work anymore. But no different. I'm very blessed that I'm healthy. I can go places. I can walk properly. I'm so blessed. And so, it's actually fun. You have to make your own secret to happiness. Because if you don't, you won't be happy. You have to learn to live with people. And have to learn to agree on everything that you want to do. And if you agree, it's fine. If you don't, you let it go. Be yourself. And enjoy every moment of it. You only have one life that we know of. Actually, my belief is that we come back over and over and over again. We've all lived hundreds of times, probably thousands of times, throughout the millennia. Well, you have to have a little fun, too. But I did a lot of singing, and that I loved the best. And I had a trio, so we went around Boston singing. And we sang for a lot of service people. And that really helped. The key to happiness is to know your God and have a really good faith. That's the key. Not only to happiness, but to pure joy. And there's a difference. Don't ask me to explain it, but joy and happiness are two different things. External things can make you happy, but it's the joy that comes from deep within and having a good faith. Do you have any life regrets? No. I shouldn't have married a second husband, but outside of that, I'm all right. Sure, lots of them, but I can't tell you what they are. They're not that important. What do you mean? Well, you know, if I said the wrong thing to someone at some point, I would not like to be hurtful to anyone by saying the wrong thing or whatever. You know, one needs to be kind to oneself and to others. That's one of the most important things in life is learning to be kind to yourself, learning to be kind to others always. No exceptions. If I had my life to live over again, I would live it exactly the same way. I'd like to take more trips. I have a bucket list that's still a mile long, which I know will never get fulfilled. I've kind of resigned myself to the fact that my life changed drastically when I fell a year ago in November and broke my femur. My sons and my brother kept saying, And I wanted to prove them wrong, and they weren't. And so I kind of do it vicariously. Each time my grandson or my granddaughter goes someplace, I live that through them. My older son right now is in Scotland with his wife. I'm living that vicariously through them. And they're very good about sending me pictures and letting me know how things are. Boy, that's a really good question. When I was young and in my early 20s, yeah, there was regrets because of the way I got pregnant. My mom and dad were embarrassed and furious at me. So they didn't like the fact that I was pregnant so young and unmarried. As life went on, they became calmer about it. And you know, the most wonderful thing are people and your children. I think you should be kind to people. And I try not to argue with anybody because it doesn't do any good. And when they got in trouble, I'd just roll my eyes and they'd laugh so that would solve it. I'm still enjoying life. I tell the kids, don't worry about anything when I leave because I had a great life. And I did a lot of traveling when I could. I'd go on the cruises and things like that. So I can't complain. To be good to people, to be good to you because if you don't love yourself, you don't love anybody. I love myself because I am happy. I'm still kicking, essentially. And I enjoy life, and I enjoy life here. Everybody is good to me. And I'm equally good to them. Don't be rude to anybody. Be loving to all. Because love is the answer and the key to almost everything in this world. Being good to one another. Being kind to one another. Loving to one another. How do you do that when it feels impossible? Pray. Just simply pray. Briefly, and the Lord will guide you.