To know what it means to experience a meaningful life implies a kind of personal growth. You will recall life phases where certain activities and friends seem important, and later, these things will no longer seem important at all. You may even ask what possessed you to devote time to causes and relationships you would no longer favor. What is the impact of time on you? How do you evolve?

I recently assisted friends begin to sort through the house of their deceased great aunt. During her 101 years, her habits changed considerably. Imagine how the world evolved in her lifetime. She lived at home until the last four months of her life. Only then, she dealt with the politics of aged care homes. From age 94, she had daily home care visits yet, she also helped herself.

During her youth, she was apparently a social butterfly. However, as she outlived her friends, she became far less social. Her life evolved into simple routines from eating, sleeping and bathing to reading as long as she could strain her eyes. She became quite solitary, except for a few regular visitors. She also outlived her husband by 30 years. He was 6years older than she. What did she do to refine making the most of her time? Health and faculties determined what was possible.

It was quite startling to discover piles of clothing and shoes stashed away that this lady had bought many years ago and never worn. She had a wardrobe full of mould and dead bugs along with newspaper cut-outs, shot gun shells and basic sewing accessories, among paper bags and buttons supposedly worth saving. Handbags, gloves, hats and scarves had been collected during an era when shopping was her favorite thing. That part of her life was over, but she wanted to hang onto these things.

Her kitchen drawers were stuffed to the brim with coupons, knick knacks and paraphrenalia. She was portrayed as a pack-rat, a sorter of gadgets and a very organized woman who knew exactly how much her bills were and whether or not they had been paid. The stories she retained and shared were perhaps the best example of her humour and ageless wisdom.

We can learn a lot form our elders; how they lived, what they did or didn't do, and their general perspectives on situations which may be part of our history.