Transcription
You said you traveled. Yes. Almost entire world. What was your favorite place that you've been? Wherever I am at the moment. [Laughter] [Music]
My name is Marjorie Lutz. I was born January 25th, 1933. That makes me uh I think it's 92. Pretty soon it'll be 93. March. What does it feel like to be 92? Same as always. Me, meaning I have plenty of energy and I can do anything I want to almost. Uh I don't run anymore. My age is only a number. If you think of yourself as being old, then you are. If you don't think of yourself as being old, then you are where you are.
What do you think most people misunderstand about growing old? They think it's hard. It isn't. It isn't hard at all. It's far too easy. What I mean is that they think that that life diminishes. It doesn't. Uh it goes on exactly as the as you see it. And if I see it as diminished, then it is diminished. But I don't see it that way. I see it as uh life changes as we go.
What are the joys of old age? I'm not sure if I can tell you the joys of old age. I can tell you the joys of living. And the joys of living is being [Music] with people who I appreciate and who appreciate me. One of the things I miss about old age is not being able to do the activities that I used to do. I was a skier. As a matter of fact, I was a professional skier. I miss that now because I can't I don't run anymore and I don't I don't uh I don't ski anymore. [Laughter] I loved skiing with a passion. And as a matter of fact, I was a ski instructor for a couple of years.
You know, I thought that my senior years would be pretty comfortable and uh full of uh family and all that sort of thing. Not so. I have one daughter who lives nearby and I see her about once a month. The other daughter lives in California. And this being Florida, that's a long ways away.
What is the most important life lesson that you've learned? That what other people think really doesn't matter at all. Who you are is what matters and how you understand yourself. And also how you appreciate others because you can't like yourself without liking others. You can't like others without liking yourself. What taught you that lesson? Yeah. Experience. My mother died when I was uh 20 years old. And so unfortunately I'm I missed a great deal of her wisdom and her love. But that's that's you know as it was.
Were you married? Yes, I was twice. The first husband I was married to for seven years and divorced him. The second marriage uh was uh 20ome years and and he died unfortunately. What is the key to a long and happy marriage? I think the key is mutual respect. It's a understanding that the the other person has a valid point of view and you need to listen to it. My first husband was difficult to live with. The second husband was a dear. He was very good and he respected me immensely. The first husband I think uh didn't know what that meant.
What is the the secret to happiness? Be yourself and enjoy every moment of it. You only have one life that we know of. Uh actually uh my belief is that we come back over and over and over again. We've all lived hundreds of times, probably thousands of times throughout the millennia.
Do you have any life regrets? Sure, lots of them. But I can't tell you what they are. They're not that important. What do you mean? Well, you know, if I said the wrong thing to someone at some point, I would not like to be hurtful to anyone by saying the wrong thing or or whatever. Uh, you know, one needs to be kind to oneself and to others. That's one of the most important things in life is learning to be kind to yourself, learning to be kind to others always. No exceptions.
What is your view of the younger generation today? Younger generation is like all the younger generations. They're great people and they're learning they're learning about life. They're learning about people and one can't expect them to be perfect. But that I don't expect myself to be perfect either. I appreciate the younger people as they come up. Of course, the young people that I'm acquainted with these days are not what you'd call young.
If you could speak to your 20-year-old self, what would you say? I think the same thing that I did say to myself, and that is uh keep having fun while you're doing your life. Make sure you are honest about it. Don't expect to find everyone as you as you would like to them to be. Every individual is each an individual and each have their own pluses and minuses.
What are some of the highlights of your life? Well, I lived four years in Tripoli, Libya, which was an interesting experience. I lived in Rome, Italy for a while. I've traveled most everywhere in the world except the Far East. I find life very interesting and exciting and I look forward to every day. What makes it exciting? The way I find it makes it exciting. I mean, I could find life dull at 92, but I don't. I find the people that I meet every day, those that I know that I've known for years, they're all equally exciting and interesting.
You you said you traveled. Yes. Almost entire world. What was your favorite place that you've been? Wherever I am at the moment. Why? I'm right here at the moment. That's a very good answer. Very good answer.