This month's trip back home to see my Mom in Tennessee was even more fun than usual because we celebrated her eighty-ninth birthday (I got her permission to share that). Because she is all about eating out with family and friends, my Sister and I took her to "The Pearl" restaurant for lunch. After an hour and a half of eating a great meal, laughing, and sharing her mound of cotton candy (Which the staff gave her because it was her birthday) with the new friends she made in the restaurant, we took a ride down memory lane by visiting all of the old home sites.
Now, you might think that is rare in her day-to-day life. Wrong! She is intentional about having a weekly breakfast with her friend Jean and lunch with a friend named Herschel. She has a landline and cell so my sister and I can keep up with her. She is always on the phone with friends she used to work with, or nieces, nephews, or grandkids. She attends church and her "Life Group" on Sundays, which is usually followed by lunch out somewhere. She spends 30 minutes a day on her tablet checking her Facebook account. And don't count on her being home once a month on Wednesday because she is "Getting her hair done."
I believe my mom lives this amazing life at eighty-nine because she is intentional about staying connected to others. Want to have an amazing life when you get to be 89? Start now by making it a priority to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. Call or text an old friend (or even better, a new friend) to set up a breakfast or lunch date. Call your grandkids (or like in my mother's case, your great-grandkids) and talk with them. Try different things. And for goodness' sake, at least once a month "Get your hair done."
Oh yeah, as I was getting in my truck to come back home to Georgia, she said, "I love you, son, can't wait until next month. We always have so much fun when you come home." I am telling you, Mom is a party animal!
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