#272 But Life Goes On

95-Year-Old Aunt Margaret Gregory

I went to see my great aunt the other day. She's my only fluent speaking Italian relative left. She's 95 years old. Aunt Margaret Gregory. She's amazing at cooking pasta, meatballs, and everything else that goes along with Italian food. She's just an amazing person.

I went to see her on her 95th birthday the other day when I was home. She was upbeat and telling stories from different parts of her life. She'd relive the memory very clearly: "Oh, when I was a little girl and when I started dating your Uncle Frank."

And then she’d rock back and say, “But life goes on.”

An Older Perspective

“But life goes on, and all we have is memories.”

As she told story after story, I could see the joy radiating from her. It’s one of the reasons I love talking to older people. They’ve lived longer and have a different perspective.

It’s harder to look through this lens on a regular basis if you’re on the younger side. You’re involved with whatever you have going on, you’re focused on your goals, etc.

But someone on the older side knows that they’re on the downside. They look at the value of time with a different perspective.

Appreciate These Moments

Make a conscious effort to appreciate these interactions and moments when they happen. It doesn’t have to be anything extra special. It can be a small interaction you have with family, friends, or your kids. Or it can be a random interaction with a stranger at the grocery store.

We’re not guaranteed anything. Not the next minute, day, week, month or year. Time is time. It’s not going to stop for anyone.

It reminds me of when my dad passed away. It was one of the most traumatic days of my life, and I hope I’ll never have to experience anything like that again. It was final, it hurt, and I had to deal with a lot of things I didn’t want to deal with.

But life went on.

Alex Hormozi

Alex Hormozi said something really cool on a YouTube video the other day. He said when he's 85 years old, he'll think the problems that he has right now are cute. Makes sense, right?

Challenges and problems are temporary. They pop up, you solve them, you move on. Oftentimes they aren’t nearly as bad you think they’re going to be.