I’m blessed to know Rita, my husband’s godmother. At 106 she sparkles. Last year she had a fall requiring 25 stitches and a 5 day stay in the emergency department (ER) on a stretcher.
Now I would have thought someone over 100 years of age, would be accommodated with a hospital bed on a ward. Not the case. If anyone had a right to complain, I thought it was her. But when I asked her about her time in the ER, she told me: “I thought to myself, what can I learn from this?” And so, she observed and learned.
While she was in the ER department, a new, young nurse, her eyes wide and her manner excited about graduating, came over to Rita. She asked if she could come by later and have a chat. Rita, as is her way, said yes.
Later in the day, the young nurse came back with her computer and opened it up. She asked Rita, what her secret was. (Rita knows right away what secret they are asking about and it isn’t her banana muffin recipe.) Rita, as she tells everyone doesn’t have a secret to her longevity. What she believes is that we should all keep moving and eat unprocessed foods.
Rita then offered some sage advice to the young woman. That advice? To always learn from your mistakes and don’t repeat them. Go forward. Don’t live in the past. You can’t change it.
Thank-you Rita. I always learn something from you.
‘Till next time.
Daphne Leonie Wright