next stop.

my mother lived to be one hundred and eight, she said. and every night she had a glass of single malt scotch. 

so that was her secret? i replied.

and diet coke. once before her hundred and second birthday she was wheeling her recycling out and a neighbor commented on all of the empty cans: 'that stuff will kill you.' my mother laughed and retorted, 'hunny, i've been drinking it for a hundred years.'

she became our best friend for the rest of the evening. more stories up that sweet woman's sleeve than countries in the all world. it just so happens she's visited over one hundred of them. a hundred and sixty six to be exact! she exclaims.

sitting next to her is phil. a stoic older gentleman with a more muted sense of humor, rather large round-shaped spectacles, and a good head of white hair. a silver fox in his own right. they're pals, phil and marie. travel buddies, in fact. every other month they take a trip together. current destination: maui. next stop: switzerland.

but they're story is unique, you see. they are friends. adventurers, really. at eighty five and seventy eight {marie seven years phil's senior} they explore the world together because, well, it's too early to throw in the towel.

they met years ago on a group trip to timbuktu {yes this place does exist in the west african nation of mali. you learn something new everyday}. he sat next to her in a vacant seat at dinner and the rest is history. she resides in cincinnati and him, seattle. but, every few weeks they rendevous. marie lost her husband thirty one years ago and phil lost his spouse as well.

but now, they have each other. friends forever. next stop, anywhere.

i'll likely never see this fearless pair again, but i'll remember them forever. like they did for me, may they inspire you to live to be one hundred and to never be afraid to explore the world. it's not too late.

*preciousness found here and here.