I think it’s because they have lived. They are walking history and although their memory may not be as good as mine, what they remember is often insightful. I have family members who are deep in their eighties and several who have lived beyond 100. I have some who are among the living who tell me the same thing over and over, and I have come to realize what they tell me is what they want me to remember. They are the things they think are important. If the stories are about family, then they are giving me what they feel will make my family life richer. If they are talking about money, they are giving me what they feel will make my pockets richer. If they only talk about what they wish they had done when they were young, they are often a living lesson in following your dreams.
They are usually honest and frank…and if you talk to them long enough you will figure out if they are not honest brokers. You figure out what they are honest about and what are tall tales. You figure out although the story may not always be exactly the same whether or not the meaning is always the same. Your figure out who and what they love most. You figure out what they care about and what they care about most. You figure out if they look at you or if they talk at you. You figure out if they are teaching or preaching. You figure out what America means to them and what it doesn’t. You figure out if they love you or if it’s their way or the highway. You figure out if they are brave or cowardly. You figure out who they care about because they tell you.
You see they have lived far more than half their lives. They know who they are although they may not want you to know. But if you hang around them, you will figure out their history. Is it history of giving or taking? Is it a history of helping or destroying? Is it a history of love or hate? Is it a history of vanity or flourishing in their years? Is it a history of change or standing still? Is it a history of learning or making the same old mistakes over and over again?
Yes, I love hanging around people who have lessons to teach me…but I’m most fond of those who are moving beyond their youth without languishing in the folly of their youth. Those who are trying to help me not make the mistakes of the past but leading me into the future…providing me with the tools to age with purpose.
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