90-Year-Olds Share Life Advice You Didn't Know You Needed

I'm just glad that I'm alive. My full name is Barbara Moser and I'm 87 years old and I was born in Pennsylvania, Connellsville. My mother died when I was 20 years old. And so unfortunately, I missed a great deal of her wisdom and her love. My name is Marjorie Lutz. I was born January 25th, 1933. That makes me, I think it's 92. Pretty soon it'll be 93. The meaning of life is to go on the pattern or the street where God has directed you. Just stay on it. My name is Carol Lee. I am 78. Just take life as it comes. Don't worry about too many problems, you can't solve them all yourself. Can always get help. Marion Faye Crocker Teese. I was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1927. I'm 97 years old. I'd say you've got to get up and do something. Got to enjoy life while you're doing it. If you stay in bed all the time or sit back in your room, you'll never be happy and you'll never see anything. A life is a waste. As long as you're here, you should enjoy it. Darlene Wiatomsky, born in Chicago, Illinois on August 5th, 1934, which makes me 90 and a half years old. If I had my life to live over again, I would live it exactly the same way. My name that I've always gone by is Peg or Peggy. I was born on February 20th, 1940, which makes me 85 years old. Or as I prefer to think of it, 85 years young. The joys of old age, I got to stretch that one a lot. I guess one of the joys for me is living long enough to see three and almost four great-grandchildren. Having my health for the most part. I have all my teeth. I can hear you real well. I have two boys. They're the most wonderful sons in the whole wide world. And because they're watching this, I have to say that. And if my younger one doesn't hear me say, I'm her favorite, then he'll be upset. But I couldn't ask the Lord for two better gifts. One of the joys of old age, the sunshine and the clouds, the rain. I love storms. You know, I thought that my senior years would be pretty comfortable and full of family and all that sort of thing. Not so. My family, I have one daughter who lives nearby and I see her about once a month. The other daughter lives in California. And this being Florida, that's a long ways away. Having peace. Having peace within your life. Just being alive with the exuberance of joy and happiness. They come your way when you're older. Because you can do what you want and everything's pretty well settled. I don't have any worries really or concerns now because I'm all better, just about. My kids are nearby, so they help me a lot and I want to watch them grow more. Very different from now. People were a great deal more reserved, careful of what they said and how they said it. And of course, I was raised with you speak properly and you speak correctly and you speak loud enough to be heard. That's it. You lived through World War II. Oh yeah. What was that like? Well, that was kind of a worry because my son was in the service. But I helped with the different things at churches and so forth. And I took care of young children sometimes. Did what I could. It was a worry, you know, but there was nothing you could do. You just had to keep going. I kept working. I kept the restaurant going. And that was about it. It was awesome. It really was. I grew up in the middle of strawberry fields. I grew up in a house that my father and my grandfather built. I loved high school. I was in National Honor Society and I was very active in my school. Volleyball and a service club and just Spanish club. Were you married? Yes, four times. How long was each marriage? The first marriage was 17 years. Second marriage was three years. Third marriage was nine years. And the fourth marriage was 22 years. What's the key to a long and happy marriage? Trusting. Trusting your partner. And I had to trust him because he worked 91 miles away from where we lived. And he stayed over where he worked because it was 91 miles so he couldn't go back and forth. But I saw him once a week. And that was good. Were you married? Yes, I was. Twice. The first husband I was married to for seven years and divorced him. The second marriage was 20 some years and he died, unfortunately. I think the key is mutual respect. It's understanding that the other person has a valid point of view and you need to listen to it no matter what it is. My first husband was difficult to live with. The second husband was a dear. He was very good. And he respected me immensely. The first husband, I think, didn't know what that meant. What is the secret to a long and happy marriage? It's a lot of give and take. A lot of give and take. And I was a pastor's wife so there was a lot of giving on that end. You work on it every single day and you just keep on loving. No matter what, keep on loving. Were you married? Oh yeah. I had three kids, two boys and a girl. And now I have a grandchild. How long were you married? Fifty years. In the fiftieth year is when my husband passed away. What's the secret to a long and happy marriage? Just not worrying too much and having a good time if you can and take things as they come. There's a lot you can't do yourself so you just go along with whatever people do with you. I like people and I used to sing a lot so that was fun. So you have to have fun too. I was married three times and the first time he left me pregnant, very unhappy. I mean I was unhappy because he left me and I was very sorrowful about it. My parents didn't even help me. I was alone on the block so that was that. How did you get through that? Cried a lot and just kept moving, just kept moving. It was a sorrowful time in my life but I made it. How old were you at the time? In my early twenties, in my early twenties. And I loved him dearly but he left me. What can you do? Just keep walking. Were you married? Yes I was. How many years? Thirty three. And then my husband found his high school sweetheart so then we weren't married anymore. Did you remarry after that? No I never got married again, no I wouldn't. What is the key to a long and happy marriage? I never found that out. Although we did go dancing a lot, that's what I liked. We went dancing a lot because his family, his brother-in-law belonged to the Knights of Columbus and there were other organizations we went to and we'd go dancing at least once a month. The younger generation is like all the younger generations. They're great people and they're learning. They're learning about life, they're learning about people and one can't expect them to be perfect but then I don't expect myself to be perfect either. I hope they keep busy and I always worked and I think they should all at least have a part-time job when they get old enough because it's a good lesson to learn to work with people. In a way I feel sorry for them because they don't know the joy and the happiness that being part of a family brings. We're all so scattered anymore that it's hard. I see that with my own grandchildren. There's not the close family ties like I grew up with and I think that's especially hard for 20-year-olds and older today is that they don't have that family ties feeling. They still have a lot to learn. We all learn as we go down the path and they still have a lot to learn, that's why they're young. They can keep learning and keep learning. They're going to be sorry someday if the computers go out or something goes out they won't know how to react, how to add, subtract, how to read a book without that computer telling them or doing it on the computer. They wouldn't know how to take a book in their hand and read it. There's so much they're going to miss out on. It's just a changing world and I feel sorry for them. You can't look at a computer or a cell phone all day. I mean I've seen where they don't do anything but have that cell phone in their hand. There's other things to life. So maybe we're old and we don't know anything but we still don't live in a computer. Most of the younger generation are very selfish. They don't like to give up anything, all except my family. That what other people think really doesn't matter at all. Who you are is what matters and how you understand yourself and also how you appreciate others because you can't like yourself without liking others. You can't like others without liking yourself. Go to God no matter what you're facing. Go to God. I say be kind to people and talk to people and just keep busy. Do a puzzle if you don't feel good and you'll get over it. And don't dwell on it, you know, on trouble. Let bygones be bygones. You're still living here. You're still living. And don't give up. No matter how hard you're hurting, make the best of it. I think as you grow and go through life, you keep learning. Learning doesn't stop with an age. It just goes on. Just keep learning. Are you still learning today? Of course. What are some of the things you're learning? I think more about people as individuals. More about people. Thank you. You're very welcome. Thank you very much. Thank you. I think that's all the questions we have. Thank you very much. Okay. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you very much. Well, thank you. Thank you. That was lovely. That was interesting. Thank you. You're welcome. Thank you very much. Am I done? Yes. Thank you. I think we're set. Thank you so much. You're so welcome. Thank you. I hope you enjoyed. I did.