My 85

year-old grandmother has a positive attitude and an

adventurous spirit.

Myrtie Rawlins says she is

willing try anything at least once. With that attitude we

began an adventure flying in a WW I airplane high above

Atlanta, Georgia.

Mrs. Rawlins does not like

to stay home and she loves to travel. Her octogenarian

friends think she is crazy. They really thought she lost

her mind when she went riding in a hot air balloon last

year.

This Christmas I wanted to

get her something special. A present she would really

enjoy-something fun and different. Now Mrs. Rawlins, is

the last person to buy Channel No. 5 for, so I bought her

a plane trip. Not in a commercial airline, but in one of

those old-fashioned, two-seater, open-cockpit planes.

It looks like one of those

planes Snoopy flies when he goes off to fight the Red

Baron.

Mrs. Rawlins started

preparing for this flight a week ahead of time. She

started telling all her friends she was going flying.

They in return, started giving her advice like, "Now

Myrtie, you know you are 85 years old, you need to act

your age." "What would you do if that airplane

crashes?" Mrs. Rawlins wasn't going to let the

naysayers stop her. The day of the trip she went out and

got her hair done, so if the plane crashed, she was at

least going to have clean hair.

Well she hopped in that

plane, buckled up, put on the leather headset, headphones

and the pilot lifted her off Peachtree Dekalb airport as

fearless as one could be. Amelia Earheardt reincarnated.

Mrs. Roll's example of living speaks advice to each of

us.

Don't Die Before You Are

Dead- There are people of all ages who quit living and

give up. I am blessed with a family, no matter how bad

their bodies hurt, keep going. My wife�s grandmother

worked 5 days a week until she was 84 years old. Her

arthritis was so bad and painful that she could not

straighten her back.

Despite this crippling

problem, she did the work of two people never asking for

help. Cathy�s dad lost both legs, and is on dialysis

four times a day.

Throughout this ordeal, six

months in and out of the hospital, nine different

surgeries, he never gave up and now is enjoying living at

home once again.

Have Fun and Enjoy Life-I

spent many years in the military living overseas.

Living overseas was

sometimes challenging, different and in most places they

didn't speak our language. I was always frustrated by

many of the military families who were afraid to leave

their house, never venturing outside the gates into the

real world. They had this "bunker mentality,"

were miserable making their spouses miserable as well.

Not us. We went everywhere we could go; anywhere our car

could carry us. We ate the local food, drank the local

brew, and had a great time.

Surround Yourself With

Crazy People- When I say "crazy" people, I am

not talking about lunatics, but sane people who go

against the norms. Sometimes the people closest to us can

be the most discouraging. You need to have one or two

crazy people to challenge you, to keep you motivated, to

give you encouragement, to make you feel alive.

You Can't Take It With

You-So Spend it Now- This isn't Mrs. Rawlin's advice, but

maybe more of mine. I love those bumper stickers that

say, "I am spending my children's inheritance."

The fact is, those "golden years" we used to

hear about may never come. Enjoy life when you can, don't

wait until it is too late. Plan a couple of trips each

year. Before we could afford to stay in hotels, we went

camping in a tent with our kids. We had a great time and

our family is that much stronger for it.

This past year, we went to

Asheville and stayed in the Grove Park Inn the week

before Christmas. What a wonderful time to see all the

decorations and feel the holiday spirit alive in the

hotel and our hearts. I think we will start a new family

tradition and take the family somewhere the week before

Christmas from here on out.

Never Too Old to Try

Something New-I have so many goals and dreams left to

accomplish. I plan on digging out my old Army paratrooper

wings and go parachuting again. I want to take my kids

scuba diving in the Caribbean Sea.

We all want to go on

another missionary trip to help other people who are not

as fortunate as us. I have at least four more books to

write. No matter our age, remember we are never too old

to try something new.

[Free by e-mail/fax: If you

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newsletter please fax us your letterhead or E-mail us at 770-760-0581/[email protected] .

Gregory P. Smith, author of

The New Leader, and How to Attract, Keep and Motivate

Your Workforce. He speaks at conferences, leads seminars

and helps organizations solve problems. He leads an

organization called Chart Your Course International

located in Conyers, Georgia. Phone him at (770)860-9464

or send an email at [email protected] . More information and articles are

available at www.chartcourse.com .]