ADVICE FROM 96 YEARS OF LIFE

Carmine is my mom’s best friend, and he celebrated his 96th birthday yesterday! They met in a nursing home my mom was volunteering at, and when Carmine’s wife died, they just started looking out for one another. Today, they’re inseparable. During dessert, we asked him questions about life, and I think it’s worth sharing his answers.

1. What is your biggest piece of advice when searching for happiness in life?

“I would say the happiness comes from knowing other people. The kind of people you want to know will give you happiness. Your memories even now go back to those moments where you were happiest with a friend. So that’s it.”

2. What is your advice for achieving physical and mental health?

“I think that’s easy. I think we have to do what we know is right in terms of our bodies, which means exercize and the kind of food we eat that’s good for us and not good for us. I think we know what’s good for us, and we know what’s not good for us and we just got to use our heads and do it. And I think exercise fits in that same category.”

3. What is your best piece of advice when it comes to creating happy relationships and marriages?

“Oh, absolute love and trust. Believe in each other, and comfort each other, I think that’s important. When one needs comforting, be there. I think people that have difficulties in their lives typically can trace it to the fact that they did not have someone that comforted them when they needed it, and we all need that at one time or another.”