My phone rang at 10 pm last night, which is way later than I usually get calls. So, you can imagine my surprise to see that the caller was my 93 year old grandfather! I answered the phone and immediately felt like I was sitting in the room with him. His husky voice is quite distinctive, and he’s still got a little bit of a small-town drawl. I think it may have been the only time I’ve ever spoken to him on the phone, so I was curious about his motive. We chatted for a bit, caught up on the latest. He asked me about my job as an RN (he always told me I should have been a physical therapist!) He told me about settling into his new apartment, with his relatively new wife (he remarried just a couple years ago) at a senior independent living center. 

Then he got down to business. He had read an article in the February Reader’s Digest entitled “The Bottom Line on Happiness.” It was written by a business professor at Harvard, and Grandpa Joe told me that he thought it was so important that everyone should have a printed copy. 

Well, when a 93 year old man you love and admire tells you to read something, you read it. Dave and I looked it up before bed and read it together. There is some really good insight, and the article is a fantastic jumping off point for some introspection, family discussion, and goal setting. We all need a little help ensuring we stay on course to the life we desire, and this article (pages 176-181) offers some great guidelines. Hope you enjoy it!