Last weekend I delivered my \u201cFive Prescriptions for Happiness\u201d talk at the annual Reunion Weekend for the Baldwin Wallace College chapter of Alpha Gamma Delta.\u00a0 Most of the attendees were current students or recent graduates; there were also a few tables of alumnae with babies in strollers; and a smattering of alums my age.
\nThe Sunday afternoon event capped a day that had started with a fund-raising walk for a local charity and included a festive lunch and celebration, so the mood in the room was quite high.\u00a0 The women readily engaged in the discussion and the short activities that are part of the talk.
\nNear the end of my talk, I have the entire audience on their feet for an activity that demonstrates the Mind-Body connection, and this group loved it.\u00a0 Since I was the closing event for the weekend, the group was adjourned a few mins after my talk ended, and I was surrounded for a few minutes by smiling young women who came over to thank me for delivering such an upbeat message.
\nBehind the crowd I noticed an older woman waiting patiently for her turn to speak with me.\u00a0 Eventually the hubbub subsided and she came forward.
\n\u201cYoung man,\u201d she started (I was immediately in love with her \u2013 at age 53 I don\u2019t get called \u2018young man\u2019 very often anymore!).\u00a0 \u201cYoung man, I agree with everything you say, and I think you\u2019re the best speaker we\u2019ve ever had at this event.\u201d
\n\u201cThank you,\u201d I replied politely.\u00a0 And then a question: \u201cand how many of these have you attended?\u201d\u00a0 Every single one, it turns out.\u00a0 Which is a lot.\u00a0 She and I fell into a longer conversation.
\nMargaret is 95 years old, and was a 1934 graduate of Baldwin Wallace College.\u00a0 She is apparently a cultural icon in the BW Alpha Gamma Delta community.\u00a0 She maintains an active involvement in the chapter; each fall she hosts a barbeque dinner at her house for the chapter and their new initiates\u2026and has been doing so for a LONG time.
\nShe comes across as bright, energetic, and much younger than her chronology would indicate.\u00a0 I remarked on that.\u00a0 Her response: \u201cDo you want to know the secret to living a long and happy life?\u201d\u00a0 \u201cAbsolutely!\u201d I declared.
\n\u201cThe secret to living longer is to have friends who are younger.\u00a0 And now that I\u2019m 95, I have no choice\u201d she said with a wink and a smile.
\nShe\u2019s 95 and stays young by hanging out with 20 year olds \u2013 and by keeping her sense of humour sharp.\u00a0 How cool is that?!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"