As I see my elderly neighbors wake up every morning and have the same routine, I wonder to myself “Will I ever have that?” My whole life has been focused around one thing, my future and what I want to be.

There is never a time where I am fully satisfied with what I have accomplished, I always strive for better. Which sometimes is a good quality, but for me, it breaks me down.

Every time I watch my elderly neighbors, it puts tears in my eyes. I want that someday. As I see them smile at each other while they garden, and laugh with their kids whenever they come over everyday to see them, I can’t help but wonder if their lives are just perfect.

I know there is no such thing as ‘perfect’ but in my eyes, what they have is. They wake up every morning, go two laps around our circle drive, kiss each other, and start to go on with their day.

They give me hope for my future, but at the same time I am terrified for it.

One day, I decided to go over and ask them about their lives. One question I specifically remember asking them is “Do you have any tips or secrets to living your life?” They both had the same answer, “Live your life to the fullest and never be afraid to fail.”

They told me a lot of stories that made me realize that they aren’t perfect but what they have is truly magnificent.

They have grown together, even through the ups and downs. They never gave up on each other through everything. That is what I want.

I want someone who is going to fight for me and do the best they can for me, but for now I am going to worry about myself.

All along I was always afraid to live my life to the fullest because I was afraid of failure and letting other people down.

They have taught me to just let go and you know, maybe “smell the roses” sometimes.

They taught me to not be so uptight and to just let things go on special occasions.

In my long sixteen years of life, I always thought getting the best grades, or being the best at everything was what I needed to do. That is not true.

I need to live for myself and not for the people around me. I need to care about myself more, and do the best I can do, and not worry about others.

Overall, they really taught me that I just need to calm down and live a little more while I am young. You never get your days back, so spend them wisely now.

So, to my cute elderly neighbors if you are reading this. Just know, you have truly impacted my perspective on life, and for that I will forever be grateful.