For nearly two decades, our own Willard Scott has been wishing folks a happy 100th birthday. He’s learned a lot about life from these centenarians. So he’s compiled a special book about the joys and frustrations of aging. It’s called “The Older the Fiddle, the Better the Tune” — with thoughts about getting older from his many friends. He discusses the book on “Today.” Here's an excerpt:
IT’S TRUE — THE OLDER THE FIDDLE, THE BETTER THE TUNE.
I’m getting better and better at playing the tune, as I’ve had years of practice! I was born on March 7, 1934, and have worked in the media for more than fifty years. A half a century, I can hardly believe it. In my work, I’ve been able to meet people of all ages. As the first Ronald McDonald, I met exuberant children who showed a love of life and a curiosity about the world around them. As the weatherman on NBC’s Today show, I have had the privilege of wishing happy birthday to energetic centenarians, the men and women lucky enough to have made it to the milestone of living 100 years or more.
The two best times of life are arguably childhood and being older. That may explain why grandparents and grandchildren get along so well — they have so much in common. Both children and grandparents enjoy — and have the time for — play, rest, and wondering about the world.
I have had a wonderful life — terrific jobs, a loving family, and the opportunity to meet many amazing people. I am happy to be enjoying a fulfilling and satisfactory age, but I wondered recently if others were as lucky as I am. So I decided to survey some people and ask them all the same question: What are the great things about getting older, and do you have any advice to the younger generations on how best to enjoy their years? You’ll recognize many of the names of the people in this collection from the worlds of entertainment, sports, government, publishing, and fashion, among others. Many of the names will be unfamiliar to you, but their responses will seem like something you’ve already heard, perhaps a conclusion you’ve already come to on your own, or an element of growing older to look forward to.
The consensus was that getting older is great for many reasons: You have more wisdom, memories, experience, free time, a gentler-paced life, and grandchildren — especially grandchildren. Lee R. Brobst, who is eighty-three years old, says, “Because the burdens of youth, earning a living, and gaining experience are now history, there is time to reflect upon and savor the memories of the then unrealized pleasures that were associated with those years.”
And contrary to popular wisdom, time doesn’t speed up as you get older. As the contributors to this book aptly show, time actually slows down in the most magnificent and majestic ways. The hectic, frenzied, almost overwhelming velocity of life that’s part of the “younger years” is over. Your time becomes your own — not your children’s or your employer’s. Gone are the days when you are too busy to smell the roses, thumb through your photo album, enjoy a game of tennis, take a swim when you feel like it, or write in your journal. Charlotte Nedell, who is 100 years old, says that she was too busy working and raising a family in her younger years to have time to enjoy nature and now loves to “pause, relax and look up at the sky, and appreciate the beauty.”
Of course, getting older doesn’t necessarily mean people are no longer active. Joan Grindley published her first book in her late sixties. Charles W. Wittman began college at age sixty-nine, and Betty Perkins-Carpenter is studying for her doctorate at age seventy-one. Stan Wallace, who is eighty-eight, finds joy in using his computer. Edith H. Aschenbach, who is 100 years old, took up painting when she was seventy. Many other seniors find fulfillment in volunteering, like Bobbie Yankovich, who in her seventies volunteers as a Chemo Angel for patients undergoing treatment for cancer, and says, “There is no end to what you can do when you do not have to worry about going to work every day.” Jack Burgeman and Ruth H. Iliff finding working in museums a way to share their knowledge with others and meeting interesting people. Bob and Audrey Nelsen bought a fifth-wheel trailer and visited forty-eight states in fifteen years. Joseph S. Colletto enjoys sailing his two tugboats off the western short of the United States. And last year, at the age of eighty-one, Janet Quirk traveled solo, 8,383 miles, from Maine around the entire country, returning home more than a month later.
The rewards of reaching a certain age are many. Yogi Berra says, “You don’t have to take any guff from anyone,” and Darcy Lewis says, “You can get away with being feisty.” Art Linkletter wisely points out that “The things you buy now will never wear out.” And John Updike finds that “one of the joys of being over sixty-five is that people have stopped trying to sell you life insurance.” Ruthe Williams says that she is pleased to have reached an age when her experiences allow her to share wisdom with so many younger people. Jack Leroy Bryson adds, “At seventy years of age one great thing is that I still have as much to look forward to as I can look back on.” Art Buchwald says, “The great thing about getting older is that you can pretend you do not hear someone that you don’t want to hear.” And Lorene M. Chiancola is a testament that finding love - even your first love all over again - happens even when you’re a senior.
I hope you enjoy reading this collection, but more important, I hope that the sound of your tune continues to get better and better, as you do.
— Willard Scott, October 2002
Excerpted from, “The Older the Fiddle, The Better the Tune: The Joys of Reaching a Certain Age,” by Willard Scott and Friends. Copyright © 2003 Willard Scott. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission of Hyperion books.