Two weeks ago, with the passing of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, I searched online for more videos and info on him. He was 99 years old, just short of being officially a centenarian in June! From what I saw and read, his was a life committed to duty first (he knew his role as consort to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, and was at her side always), being a maverick (with a “propensity to [making] unscripted, off-the-cuff and sometimes wildly inappropriate comments,” as CNN’s Rob Picheta notes in his article, “Laughed off for years as gaffes, Prince Philip’s outbursts complicate his legacy“), and a strong desire to helping young people advance in life (through the Duke of Edinburgh Award [Youth awards program]).
After viewing and reading these videos and articles, I found myself watching a couple of videos on three centenarians (Life Lessons From 100-Year-Olds) and a nonagenarian (45 Life Lessons From A 90-Year-Old) talking about life and what they’ve learned through the years. Here are what I gleaned from their stories:
- They lived and loved their lives. — they didn’t waste time on the what ifs, could haves, and should haves, but lived the lives they had and loved it and loved the ones that they got to spend their lives with.
- They had regrets, but they didn’t dwell on these too long, nor allowed these to control their futures.
- They believed that the best was yet to come, with big smiles on their faces, as they said this on camera.
From the nonagenarian, these life lessons leapt out for me:
- Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
- Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
- You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
- Make peace with your past, so it won’t screw up the present.
- Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
- Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
- When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
- Over prepare, then go with the flow.
- No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
- Frame every so-called disaster with these words: “In five years, will this matter?”
- Forgive everyone everything.
- What other people think of you is none of your business.
- Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.
- Your job won’t take care of you when you get sick. Your family and friends will. So cherish them.
- Believe in miracles.
- Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
- Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful, or joyful.
- All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
- Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
- Make beautiful memories. Make no regrets.
- Don’t give up too easily.
While researching more about life and what people’s thoughts are generally of it, I came across another interesting video, a TED video called What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness. The speaker, Robert Waldinger, is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and directs the Harvard Study of Adult Development, one of the longest-running studies of adult life ever done.
In the video, he discloses the following: “The clearest message that we get from this 75-year-study is this: good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period. … over these 75 years, our study has shown that the people who fared the best were the people who leaned in to relationships… with family, with friends, with community.”
He then shares “Three Big Lessons” about relationships:
- Social connections are really good for us. Loneliness kills.
- It’s not just the number of friends you have. And it’s not whether or not you’re in a committed relationship. But it’s the quality of your close relationships that matters.
- Good relationships don’t just protect our bodies. They protect our brains.
In the several news reports about Prince Philip’s death, two things kept being repeated: first, that he was the longest-serving consort of a reigning British monarch and second, that he was always at Queen Elizabeth II’s side. I can only imagine what kind of a relationship they had. But from what I see in the news and what’s written of both of them, I think Prince Philip knew and understood what truly mattered in his life. I pray and hope that I do, too, before it is too late.
