Suppose you were waiting for a friend to come and take you on a drive and you didn’t know just what time he was to come.
Would you hesitate to take up any work just because you didn’t know whether you would have time to finish it or not?
I’ve seen old folks who sat passive waiting for the summons to come that should call them into the other room, and became mighty fretful and disagreeable while they waited. And then, again, I’ve seen old folk who were so busy living natural lives they didn’t realize they were waiting.
Make up your mind to go on living, to go on seeing and doing new things, to go on studying and playing and working just as hard as you have the power to do, while you go on breathing.
If there are things that you’ve wanted to, but haven’t had time to do before, do them now.
For instance, one of the happiest old people I ever knew was a woman who began to take music lessons after she was 75. She had loved music all her life, but had never been able to play a note. When she was about 75, she found herself in possession of money and leisure that she had never had before and promptly took up the study of the piano.
Hobby ideasfor adults
Julia Ward Howe’s daughter told me recently that her mother’s daily regime included besides an hour or two at the piano and music reading in English, also the mastery of some Greek classic, she had not previously read and some time at literary work. And Julia Ward Howe is 90.
Another old lady whom I knew inherited some money when she was 77 and instead of getting ready to pass it along and took a wonderful trip abroad and took a wonderful trip through all the Biblical countries in which she had always had a passionate interest.
It’s never too late to do something you’ve never done before: it’s never too late to do something you’ve always wanted to do; it’s never too late to crowd some more living and enjoying and doing into life.
