Advice for an Uncle

My uncle often tells a story about the day of his high school graduation. He graduated from high school in the early sixties. As he was walking to the ceremony in his cap and gown, an elderly woman stopped him on the sidewalk to congratulate him. As he thanked her, she offered him a piece of advice. “Savor these times,” she said, “high school was the happiest time of my life.” He remembers mumbling thanks and walking away and then thinking to himself that this is the worst advice he has ever received.

My uncle laughs a lot when he tells this story. He remembers being scared for a second and wondering, “What if this was the best time of my life?” Then he laughs a little more. In his sixties now, he confidently says that each year has been better than the one before. I hope in my sixties I can say the same thing with just as much laughter.