OPRAH: He did say aging isn't decay. It's rather a blessing.
And particularly having the time to say goodbye --
MITCH: Yeah. OPRAH: -- was a blessing. He thought it was.
MITCH: We also -- that was one of the things --
one of the Tuesdays -- you know, every Tuesday we
sort of took a topic. OPRAH: Yes.
MITCH: Because he was -- he was a teacher. So he liked that.
He liked to have -- he wanted me -- honestly, Oprah,
before -- because I didn't tell him about the book.
He wanted me to write a thesis. And I honestly didn't have
the heart to say, you do understand, I'm not enrolled anywhere.
You have to actually be in school to write a paper.
But he was so academic, you know. So one subject at a time
each week we did. And one was aging.
And I had asked him, you know, we live in a culture that worships youth.
Totally worships youth. And I realized, here I am, younger,
healthier, I'm coming to visit him every week, and then I get to leave.
So I said, how do you keep from envying me my youth?
How do you keep from saying, how come he gets to walk and he's
healthy and I'm gonna die in this house? And he said, Mitch,
age is not a competition. He said, inside me is every age I've
ever been. 10-year-old. 20-year-old. 37, like you.
But also a 50-, 60-, 78-year-old man. So why should I be envious
of where you are? I've already been where you are.
You should be envious of me. I've got 40 years on you.
And that was the end of me worrying about age anymore.
Because he was right.