By Sunie Levin MEd

At age 82, I have made friends that are 10-20 years younger. Of course, I could be fooling myself, but they seem to enjoy my company and I certainly enjoy being with them. How has this happened? Some probably look at me as a mom figure and seek advice. Most are simply younger friends we’ve met along the way and my husband and I enjoy social activities and holidays with them.

I’m always willing to try new things, with the exception of bungee jumping, sky diving and white river rafting. I am interested in people and curious about everything in the world. One of my son-in-laws teased me that I was interested in land fills. Yes, they can be great.

Most of all I’m interested in people of all ages. My husband can’t believe I find out so much about a person I have just met, especially when it’s the T.V. repairman or someone in the grocery store. I ask questions. I’m not nosy, I really am interested. Most people are delighted to talk to you; they enjoy talking about their kids and their grandchildren. Of course, you may meet the occasional grouch….

After a certain age, how old you are doesn’t matter. It helps that both my husband and I look and act 20 years younger than we actually are. At least we think so. It’s not age, but attitude that makes the difference in acquiring younger friends. Younger friends open new vistas to explore. I’m willing to try new things, I am interested in people. Hopefully that makes me more interesting. And the added benefit is that it will keep you healthier and less concerned about your daily complaints.

Every day there are people my age in my community I knew who died. That’s just the way it is. To replace them I go out of my way to acquire new younger friends. Perhaps they will be around longer. And I can ask the good looking couple down the street to be my pall bearers.

We’ve all heard about chemistry. We know what it’s all about, even if we’ve never seen a test tube in our lives. It’s the thing we can’t define, but we know it when it’s there. You can always sense it–that instant feeling of rapport, that here is someone I’d like to know better, who seems to be on the same wave-length. When it happens, don’t hesitate to tell the person that you feel good about him or her and would like to spend time getting to know each other better.Making younger friends is win-win. It gives you a fresher perspective on life. It gives them the benefit of seeing a road map for when they get older.

Start making new young friends of all ages. No investment of time pays larger dividends. I can promise you will never be bored.

– Sunie Levin is author of Make New Friends, Live Longer