At 104 years old, she was asked what she would do differently if she could live life over again.
Her answer was not about money.
Not power.
Not fame.
She smiled and said:
“I would have eaten more ice cream.”
Years ago, I was watching television and they were showing different clips.
Up comes this little segment about a woman celebrating her 104th birthday.
She was smiling.
Quiet.
Calm.
Everybody around her was much more boisterous.
Laughing.
Talking.
Celebrating.
You know how birthday gatherings get.
Especially when somebody reaches 104.
LOL.
Various questions were being tossed around.
Then one question came up that I never forgot.
QUESTION
She was simply asked:
“If you were given the chance to live your life over again, what would you do differently?”
She smiled.
And I remember thinking that the smile answered the question before she even opened her mouth.
Then she said:
“I would have eaten more ice cream.”
That was it.
Not:
“I would have made another million dollars.”
Not:
“I would have bought a bigger house.”
Not:
“I would have worked another ten years.”
Not:
“I would have impressed more people.”
Ice cream.
LOL.
ASSESSING LIFE
Now think about who answered that question.
This was not somebody standing at the beginning of life.
She had been through it.
Decades of it.
Good years.
Bad years.
Work.
Family.
Losses.
Victories.
Disappointments.
Celebrations.
Bills.
Relationships.
Responsibilities.
All the things you and I are dealing with right now.
She wanted things.
Worked for things.
Lost things.
Enjoyed things.
Worried about things.
Just like everybody else.
And after 104 years of living…
she had the benefit of looking backward over the entire landscape.
That is what made the answer powerful.
She was not guessing.
She was assessing.
CHILD-LIKE ANSWER
Her answer sounded almost childlike.
And maybe that was the wisdom in it.
Children understand pleasure in a much simpler way.
They do not need to explain why they like the ice cream.
They simply like the ice cream.
Somewhere along the way, adults become experts at postponing enjoyment.
After I finish this.
After I pay that.
After I retire.
After the kids grow up.
After the house is paid off.
After I lose ten pounds.
After things calm down.
LOL.
Things never calm down.
Life just keeps changing costumes.
We become so responsible that sometimes we forget what the responsibility was supposed to protect.
A LIFE.
Not merely a schedule.
THE THINGS WE POSTPONE
How many small pleasures do we keep putting off?
The walk.
The phone call.
The trip.
The afternoon off.
The visit.
The hobby.
The dessert.
The sunset.
Sitting with somebody you love without checking the clock.
These things do not always look important while they are happening.
Maybe that is why we postpone them.
But at the end of life…
the small things may not look small anymore.
RICHIE SPEAKS
You may spend half your life getting somewhere…
only to discover the best parts were happening while you were traveling.
LOL.
Another Richie thought:
Do not become so good at preparing for life that you forget to attend it.
And here is another:
If every day is saved for later…
one day there is no later left.
YOUR TURN TO STAR
Right now, somewhere inside your life, is the answer to the question somebody may ask you when you are 104 years old.
They may say:
“If you had it to live all over again, what would you do differently?”
Why wait until 104 to answer?
PAUSE.
What came into your mind?
Travel more?
Spend more time with family?
Write the book?
Start the business?
Forgive somebody?
Laugh more?
Worry less?
Take better care of yourself?
Go fishing?
Dance?
Play music?
Eat the ice cream?
Whatever immediately appeared…
pay attention.
That may be life trying to save you several decades of hindsight.
THE REAL POINT IS NOT ICE CREAM
Now, before everybody heads for the freezer…
LOL…
the Pearl is not really about ice cream.
It is about permission.
Permission to enjoy your own life.
Permission to stop treating every pleasure like it needs a justification.
Permission to understand that productivity is not the only measurement of a worthwhile day.
Sometimes the worthwhile thing was sitting on the porch.
Sometimes it was laughing until your stomach hurt.
Sometimes it was taking your grandchild for ice cream.
Sometimes it was doing absolutely nothing useful at all.
And somehow…
it was still useful.
PEARLS INSIGHT
Hindsight often reveals that life’s deepest value was not found only in achievement, accumulation, or status.
It was also found in simple experiences, relationships, enjoyment, presence, and the moments we allowed ourselves to fully live.
PEARLS CONNECTION
This connects directly with the Pearls themes of hindsight, awareness, identity, and living in the present moment.
Hindsight teaches.
Awareness notices.
And wisdom says:
Why wait until the end of the journey to use the lesson?
FINAL THOUGHT
Imagine yourself at 104.
You are sitting there.
Somebody puts a microphone in front of you.
They ask:
“What would you have done differently?”
Listen carefully to the answer that comes up inside you RIGHT NOW.
Then maybe…
instead of waiting seventy years to say it…
go do some of it.
Today.
And if your answer happens to involve ice cream…
I think that little 104-year-old lady would approve.
LOL.
— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
https://pearlsforthesoul.com
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