Saturday, January 21, 2012

Advice (from those who have been around)

I caught the end of a radio news story that talked about a study on what advice elderly have for the younger generation.   I found an article on the study in the New York Times.  It is an interesting read that reminds me of the importance of keeping life in perspective...

Here was an excerpt that was my favorite.

ON HAPPINESS Almost to a person, the elders viewed happiness as a choice, not the result of how life treats you.
A 75-year-old man said, “You are not responsible for all the things that happen to you, but you are completely in control of your attitude and your reactions to them.” An 84-year-old said, “Adopt a policy of being joyful.”
The 90-year-old daughter of divorced parents who had lived a hardscrabble life said, “I learned to be grateful for what I have, and no longer bemoan what I don’t have or can’t do.”

Even if their lives were nine decades long, the elders saw life as too short to waste on pessimism, boredom and disillusionment.

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