[A guest blog spot by ISS Editor Drew Whitney.]
In July, I wrote about my dear friend and neighbor, Dorothy. At age 95, Dorothy gardened flowers in the summer and shoveled snow in the winter. She moved slowly and precisely, but she always did so with a smile. She was hard of hearing and had lost some vision, but even if she couldnt tell who you were by sight or sound, she still had something nice to say.
We shared birthdays and, according to Dorothy, that meant good luck for me. I think you will have a long, healthy and happy life like I have, she told me on September 30, our special day.
Even though mines been long, it seems so short, she added.
Time flies when youre having fun, I said. I dont know if she heard me, but she still smiled. She had a nice smile. Ill remember her smile.
Dorothy was buried on Tuesday, a cold and snowy day, just the kind that would send her bravely out of the house with a hat on her head and a shovel in her hand. Dorothy was ready to take on the world. She fancied people and everyone loved her in return.
It was a small service. She had outlived two husbands and her only son, along with countless friends and extended family. Neighbors bent heads together in prayer, but few cried. We were consoled knowing Dorothy lived well, but mostly, she lived happily.
Whats this have to do with self-storage? Nothing. Just a reminder to live each day like its your last, because someday you will be right (a quote from a movie, but I dont know which one). According to an old Chinese proverb, you should Enjoy yourself; its later than you think. And, according to author Annie Dillard, Spend the afternoon. You cant take it with you.
Finally, from Abraham Lincoln, a thought that would have made my Dorothy smile knowingly: And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.