Ever wonder, “Why didn’t I do that?” If not, stop reading . . . you’re either still in diapers or in denial.
I’ve lost count of the times I’ve asked myself that question, usually just after messing up Big Time . . . again. The good news, I find myself beginning to ask that question less with each passing year.
Thankfully, an inverse relationship seems to exist between that disturbing question and aging. Could it be I’m actually becoming wiser? After 78 trips around the sun, I can only hope 😊.
Recently, I read a couple of surveys done with ROFSELS – Really Old Folks Still Enjoying Life – all who have Been There . . . Seen It . . . Done That during their lifetimes.
The first group consisted of 50 gray-haired sages, including several no-haired males, all over 95 years young. They were asked one question, “If you had your life to do over again, what would you do differently?” The three most voiced answers were:
- We would risk more.
- We would reflect more.
- We would do more things that live on after we die.
The second survey was conducted with a group of individuals the United States enjoys the most of worldwide . . . some 97,000 and growing . . . centenarians. Now if you’ve lived over 100 years old, you’ve definitely Been There . . . Seen It . . . Done That countless times. The survey found these ROFSELs shared four common qualities:
- Optimism
- Engagement
- Mobility
- The ability to adapt to loss
My dear grandmother, who journeyed here for 93 years before going Home, would reprimand me when I was naughty . . . a frequent behavioral mode 😊 . . . with a ROFSEL nugget, “Freddy, you’re too soon old and too late smart.” Still a POFSEL (substitute Pretty for Really), I just conducted a quick self-survey that revealed two salient points that will alleviate my future “Why didn’t I do that?” questioning:
- I need to heed Grandma’s and others tried and true, Been There . . . Seen It . . . Done That ROFSEL wisdom.
- I need to remember James’s advice on wisdom:
“If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking.” – James 1:5
PS – I’m really not that old. I’ve just been young for a really long time 😊
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Keep Looking Up
