An older friend once gave me a piece of advice, "Enjoy the last few weeks of college," she said, "since college is the best time of your life." This was not the first time I'd heard such a statement, but with graduation fast coming close, her words especially struck me. It seemed a bit disappointing to reach one's life peak at only 22 years of age, but in her opinion, college had been one of the best times in my life so far. I made friends, took classes, and learned a great deal about myself. But I was also excited for the time after college--moving to a new city, starting a new job, and becoming a "real" person. I hoped that my great dreams were practical. Then, last week I read a column in Real Simple Magazine called 100 Years of Attitude, in which women 100 years or older shared their life experiences and views. I noticed that none of them considered college as the "best" time of their life. Not all of them went to college, but still in most cases their teens and twenties were not the best times of their life. They said some of their favorite times were raising their children, traveling after retirement, and even enjoying their present time and age. Enjoying one's present time and age was a clear theme of the interviews. A piece of advice given by the women was about the importance of making the best of all situations. I think it more accurate than that of my friend; I can say with certainty that if I am lucky enough to make it to 100, I refuse to spend the last 80 years of my life plummeting   downhill, or even leveling off. I am sure that our eagerness and devotion will make us college students live a meaningful life. We will not just look backwards or miss our college days. We will look forward in excitement about continued journey uphill. The column the writer read is mainly about those old women's   _  .
best time of life at youth life experiences and views different opinions about life favorite time with best friends