Still Like Spring, Even When Old

I was walking in Manhattan at sunset, drunk with the beauty of the sky.
“Wow, you’re dressed so nicely!”
A white woman spoke to me from behind. I looked at her.  She was very stylish.
“You’re dressed beautifully too,” I said.
Then she asked,
“How about we meet for coffee? Can I have your phone number?”

She was very friendly, so I gave her my number. We became friends. She was a retired designer. Long ago, she divorced her Jewish doctor husband. She said she left him because he always cared more about his parents and brothers than his wife and children.
Whatever her story was, I found her very interesting. She had a positive, bright energy. She was an attractive single woman who dressed with great care. Every piece of clothing matched perfectly. Her style was her own creation. She herself was like a piece of art.
“Don’t men follow you? You’re so attractive,” I asked.
“I have no desire,” she said.

There is a saying: When you give too much, people throw you away.
Many young women work hard, raise children, and support their husbands, but don’t have time to care for their looks. Some foolish husbands even make fun of their wives instead of feeling thankful. Older women often say, “I’m too tired,” or “I gained weight, why bother?” and give up. But when you always choose comfort, your heart also becomes lazy.

My father used to say, “When a woman loses romance, she loses her charm.”
He lived until 96 and always had many lady friends. Before he died, lying in bed, he said,
“Why did this happen to me?”
I told him, “Father, you lived the life you wanted. No one can stop death. We have to accept it.”

People think they will live forever, even when everyone around them dies.
But I want to take care of myself and keep growing until the very end.
We don’t know the value of youth until we get old. We don’t know the value of life until we face death. We should not give up.