Over the next few weeks I am writing to you about things that I think keep you feeling young. Today, I want to talk about how spending time with younger people can be one part of the fountain of youth.

I love being with my longtime friends: there is nothing like the familiarity that comes from being with people who knew me in elementary school. But, in my opinion, there is no greater contributor to the fountain of youth than spending time with younger people.

I know the comfort of talking about “back in the day” with peers and friends. Nothing puts a smile on my face faster than talking with old high school friends about who liked who, or remembering our dance in the school play or thinking about how I sewed my own prom dress and was still hemming it on the day of the dance.

Now, let’s talk about the benefits of spending time with younguns and you will quickly see how much of a boost it can be.

Young People Learn from Your Stories

Just think for a moment how fascinating it must be for young people to hear about life before cell phones! I have often told this story to illustrate what that was like when I went to college:

I grew up in Cincinnati and I was off to The Ohio State University and my best friend from elementary school, Laura, was headed to Portland, Oregon. We wrote letters, but not much. Long distance phone calls were expensive (even thought our parents were paying for them!) and I think our unwritten rule was that she was allowed to call me once during the quarter and I was allowed to do the same. So from September to December we talked two times. Now, we talked for as long as we could think of things to say, probably an hour, but that was it.

Young people are so used to being totally connected, so much so, that I think that’s how there are so many long distance relationships during the college and early career years for them: they talk 10 times a day and it’s almost like they are together. I love to watch their faces as I talk about the one call each quarter. It is as if I am speaking Russian: their brains just shut down when I say it.

While I am on the subject of listening to stories about communication, I remember my Grannie telling me this story:

When she was a little girl with her sister, Jacil, they lived in the country and their phone was on a party line (something you will have to describe to anyone under about 60). So, as there wasn’t exactly a lot of money for entertainment, they would get on the party line at 7 p.m. on Saturday nights and play guitar and sing for everyone in the area. Can you imagine? But , now, I can picture it so clearly and I think it gives me a window into a world long before I was born.

They Have So Few Expectations of Us Old Folks

I used to go to a workout class that was all young people, well, except one. Me. When I told people that I went to classes at S.O.S. They would gasp, as if I was climbing Mt. Everest three times a week. It was hard. But, I quickly learned that the young people thought I was so old, in fact, that if I just stayed for the whole class I had already exceeded expectations! If I actually did anything with even the least amount of difficulty, I was called amazing: who doesn’t want to be called amazing? Oh, by the way, I got a workout in while I was being marveled at.

We Know Important People and that Makes Us Valuable to Young People

Think back to when you were young and starting off in your career and building a life. Remember what it felt like to think to yourself, “If I could only meet (fill in the blank). But, you couldn’t, because you weren’t important, yet. You needed a hand up.

Live long enough, and you will know all those people. You will have built your lives together over the years in your communities, with your kids and in organizations. I love nothing more than to be in conversation with a younger person and someone walks by and we give each other a hug and cheek-kiss, leaving a young person in utter shock: “You know her?” “Well, yes, our kids went to pre-school together 30 years ago. I’d be happy to introduce you.” That feels pretty good.

So, relish your time with younger people: they can help you feel important, and who doesn’t want to feel important?