♥ Asphyxiated Love

:: Listen listen peeps ::

The year is almost coming to an end.While some of us have already achieved what we had set at the beginning of the year, there are others who are still struggling and maybe on the verge of giving up hope that the following year will be better. But i will say that since the year has yet to end, why not give it your final shot; you never know when you may just make it and hit the bull's eyes. Here is a story of Rose who would show us time is not a factor if you are determined to achieve your goals. (Story was adapted from a newsletter told by the general manager of the Neways company).

The first day of classes 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 around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being. She said, "Hi, my name is Rose. I'm eighty seven years old. Can I give you a hug?"

I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course, you can!" 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, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel." "No seriously," I asked. I was curious as to what may have motivated her to be taking 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 easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and 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 and 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 accidentally dropped her three by five cards onto 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 older and become twenty years old. If I'm 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 the opportunity to change."

"Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for the 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.

Finally, 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 tot he wonderful woman who taught by example that IT'S NEVER TOO LATE.

THE ROSE
Some say love, it is a river,
That drowns the tender reed.
Some say love, it is a razor,
That leaves your soul to bleed.
Some say love, it is a hunger,
An endless aching need.
I say love, it is a flower,
And you, it's soul the seed.

It's a heart afraid of breaking,
That never learns to dance.
It's the dream, afraid of waking,
That never takes the chance.
It's the one who won't be taken,
Who cannot seem to give.
And the soul, afraid of dying,
That never learns to live.

When the night has been too lonely,
And the road been to long.
And you think that love is only
For the lucky and the strong:
Just remember, in the winter,
Far beneath the bitter snows,
Lies the seed, that with the sun's love
In the Spring, becomes the rose.

I find the story really interesting, don't you? Niwaes, my fingers are tired from typing all that out continuously. Hahas... and Halloween is approaching, I see that someone's turning 16 soon...

More than anything,
Monday, October 29, 2007.