An Old Woman Decides To Go To College To Learn And Ends Up Teaching The Student Body In The Process

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned round to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being. She said, “Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?”

I laughed and enthusiastically responded, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant squeeze.

“Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked. She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids.”

“No seriously,” I asked. I was curious about what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

“I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!” she told me.

After class, we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months, we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this “time machine” as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester, we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.

Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, “I’m sorry I’m so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I’ll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.”
As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, “We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don’t even know it! There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.

If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.”

She concluded her speech by courageously singing “The Rose.” She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.

At the year’s end, Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it’s never too late to be all you can possibly be.

When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they’ll really enjoy it! These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.

Related Posts

This teen heartthrob deemed as gay basically vanished after “Home Improvement”

Jonathan Taylor Thomas was at the height of his career when he stepped away from Hollywood, leaving young girls yearning for the teen heartthrob, then known as JTT. The Home Improvement star – who…

I Paid to Renovate Our Family’s Lake House — Then My Mom Gave It to My Sister

“I Was There”: A Thanksgiving I’ll Never Forget When I told my dad I couldn’t host Thanksgiving this year, he barely looked up. “Guess we’ll eat at…

“I Was There”: A Thanksgiving I’ll Never Forget

“I Was There”: A Thanksgiving I’ll Never Forget When I told my dad I couldn’t host Thanksgiving this year, he barely looked up. “Guess we’ll eat at…

MY FIANCÉ PROPOSED WITH THIS RING—AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO THINK

When Zach proposed, I expected magic—but the ring was nothing like I imagined. Intricate, ancient-looking, and unsettling. I tried to convince myself it was meaningful, but something…

Only those with sharp eyes can detect where the woman is hidden

Walking through a forest path offers a peaceful escape from daily stress. The rustling leaves, birdsong, and gentle sights—like rabbits hopping among trees—create a calming, magical atmosphere…

He Told Me to Skip Dessert Because He Likes ‘Thin Women’—So I Served Confidence Instead

At first, my date Mark seemed charming—punctual, confident, well-dressed. But as dinner went on, his focus shifted to his workout routine and strict diet. When I ordered…