What people in their 90s Love Most and Regret Most About the Life They've Lived

What things make you happy?

What have old people told you made their lives happier?

Life moves fast, and daily obligations and distractions cause us to not see the big picture. That's why it's so valuable to spend some time chatting with those who are older than us. People who have experienced all the good and bad things of life.

Learning from everything

Whether you are 9 years old or 90 keep learning. For example, taking exercise classes, foreign language lessons, and anything that is interesting for you. A constant search for new knowledge and experience gives life meaning.

Love more

You would think that having a great career would be the reward. But those interviewed said they wished they had loved more, not worked more.

A good dinner with friends or family

Sometimes we can be too busy because of business and work. But in the long run, the moments we remember most are spent with friends.

Stay fit

Keep your mind and body fit by reading and exercising. Enjoy your body and your mind.

Being useful

Research found people feel happier after doing something kind. When we feel useful we feel happy.

Save money for retirement

Start as early as you can so you can relax more when you are older.

Doing work that helps others

Those that did work that impacted others are happy when they remember the good work they did. For example, a retired firefighter said he remembers working with team mates to save lives as his best memories.

See the world

Travel as much as you possibly can.

Invest in quality

Appreciate the value of things that are made to last a long time. Something that's cheap or of low quality is going to disappoint you.

Making friends

Some of the things 90-somethings look back on with their best memories are the friendships they made and kept over the years.

Worrying

It’s best to always remember to smile and don't worry because worrying is pointless!

Try to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest meaning from the choices in the right. Some of the answers are very close and have similar meaning. The meaning of these words is how they are used in the reading. Some of these words have different meanings in the dictionary depending on how they are used.

 The answers are below the table.

A=3, B=1, C=8, D=2, E=7, F=5, G=4, H=6

Some example sentences using the new words or phrases from the meaning of how they are used in the reading to help you understand better.

1. Every child is obligated to go to school from age 5.

2. Please be quiet. Don’t distract the students doing the exam.

3. The big picture here is what we as a company want to achieve.

4. Fighting to be the best gives my life meaning.

5. You can worry about small things but in the long run it won’t change anything.

6. The decisions you make today impact your success tomorrow.

7. I appreciate all that my parents did for me.

8. It is pointless to invest money in the bank. The interest is too small.

    

    

    

Some questions using the new words/phrases. Try to use the words/phrases in your answer.

1. What obligations are important in your life?

2. Do you get distracted easily when you are trying to do something important?

3. Why is it important to see the big picture in life?

4. What gives life meaning to you?

5. In the long run what do you want to achieve with your English learning?

6. Who impacted your life the most?

7. Who do you appreciate in your past? Why and explain how they made a difference to your life.

8. Do you do some things that are pointless? How can you improve yourself?