This is a particular phrase that has stuck with me for a while now after I heard someone express it. My immediate thought was I am never going to say that ever in my life followed by That's very sad.
Rewind: We all have inspirational people in our lives that give you little golden nuggets of advice that you clasp onto. Advice that makes you feel honored to be the recipient of such precious information. For me, my dear friend Clarence has made a significant impact on me, as he has with, very literally, generations of people. Nearly 60 years separates us in age, but during our much anticipated coffee visits, it was a detail I would easily forget. I've known Clarence since the summer of 2014 when I started working for him at the Westminster College Field Station. To date, he has been the best boss I've ever had, having taught me so much more than plant species, weed whacking, trail construction, and bridge building: he taught me how to live.
The thing about Clarence is that he is in his mid-80s and seemingly getting younger. In my 4 years working with him at the college, I received many surprise pranks: glasses of water dumped on me from the second story window and finding watermelon bits in my shoes, all followed by chuckling from around the corner. In an epic downpour that rendered outdoor work impossible, we ran laps around the Field Station in the rain. Later, we would take the 4-wheel Gator and drive through the puddles, all the while laughing like children (just like this). The kind of laugh that when it's so deep it gets sing-songy. In early January, we even polar bear plunged in the Shenango River! This year it was a bit more mild: we stood out in the snow, bare foot, at our respective houses for his annual Christmas tradition.
Importantly, Clarence taught me to laugh when things weren't going well. Like when the entire container of rotating compost opened and dumped weeks of sludge at his feet. Or when the tractors or truck would get stuck in the mud out in a field and need rescued. I sincerely think he would get them stuck on purpose! Another fond memory: In the chilly, misty mornings when heavy dew made the tall grass laden with water, my netted tennis shoes (and feet) were the recipient of cold water torture. I grumpily stomped through the grass when Clarence, walking in long, swift strides beside me, spoke aloud, "I really love the morning dew. It reminds me of a rebirth." It's hard to stay grumpy after hearing something like that.
Clarence was a world traveler and would take students to different countries and around the U.S. During one trip to Florida, some students were playing shuffleboard when an older man reprimanded them for being too rowdy! "And that's when I decided I would never move to Florida!" Clarence exclaimed. It made sense: He was too young at heart for Florida.
The point is that he could have so easily been angry about equipment breaking or getting stuck or work getting messy. He could have even made sure to maximize every hour of the work day and not allow time for things like sharing thoughts over coffee, spending time with visitors at the Field Station, and running in the rain.
His secret for staying young, he told me, was to always spend time with the next generation.
It's important to be silly, get dirty, run outside, play games, pull practical jokes, and polar bear plunge. But, it's easy to lose that. It's easy to be too old for things like that. In fact, it can even be a conscious effort.
Ultimately, it's also okay to grow up and be too old for certain things, if that's what you want to do.
Me? I want to live like Clarence.
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