In working with folks looking at houses of every size and price range you just run into a whole mix of people from every economic status and such. One of the most fascinating mixes is age differences within families. The behavior of the 70+ yr. olds and the twenty somethings can be quite striking at times. Some older people are very optimistic but others can be down right cranky.
I call this the Grumpy Old Men effect. It can apply to women as well but for the sake of this tale let's see how it plays out.
The exchange between Grandpa and the twenty something grandson goes to the effect that the grandson doesn't appreciate all the worldly advice to the grandson about stop listening to so much music on that MP3 player with the earbuds in the head all the time, and then grandpa's line in the discussion,
Some Day You Won't Have Me To Kick Around Anymore.
To me, it was a sad reflection on the grandfather's view of how he will be remembered after he is long gone. Now it could be said it was in jest. But literally some of us, both men and women, really do get cranky and grumpy as we age. Why? The negativity comes from regrets they harbor about missteps in their judgment, hard feelings about words inflicted upon them along the way, omissions of things they should have said and done, and just life's disappointments. They have been worn down. I get emails from a handful of these grumpy old men regularly and they are always bashing our country and talking politics. They bring a great deal of negative from the past to the present.
Unfortunately, I think they also believe they will have no good legacy. The fact is starting TODAY we ALL can have a great legacy if we work at it. Letting go of the past. Smiling. Loving all you come in contact with. Maybe a 9-11 event was not a world changer for them to realize their mortality. Maybe they need a little pretty girl to come up to them with a flower and say, "I love you Grandpa." I do hope before they die someone or some event will soften their hearts. We all should not go through life with hard hearts.
Check yourself in the mirror today and use a few role models I have used on how you want to exit stage left someday. Women or men, think of these great celebrities who left us with nary a discouraging word said about them. Lou Gehrig, Jimmy Stewart, Fred Rogers, Red Skelton, Mother Teresa. We all don't have to be saints, but we can leave behind people feeling like this about us:
"When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so that when you die, you're the one smiling, and everyone around you is crying."
Hi Gary:
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