[00:14]The best time of my life
[00:17]It was June 15, and in two days I would be turning thirty.
[00:24]I was insecure about entering a new decade of my life and feared that my best years were now behind me.
[00:34]My daily routine included going to the gym for a workout before going to work.
[00:42]Every morning I would see my friend Nicholas at the gym. He was seventy-nine years old and in terrific shape.
[00:53]As I greeted Nicholas on this particular day, he noticed I wasn¡¯t full of my usual vitality and asked if there was anything wrong.
[01:05]I told him I was feeling anxious about turning thirty.
[01:11]I wondered how I would look back on my life once I reached Nicholas¡¯s age,
[01:18]so I asked him, ¡°What was the best time of your life?¡±
[01:25]Without hesitation, Nicholas replied, ¡°Well, Joe, this is my philosophical answer to your philosophical question.¡±
[01:39]¡°When I was a child in Austria and everything was taken care of for me and I was nurtured by my parents, that was the best time of my life.
[01:54]¡°When I was going to school and learning the things I know today, that was the best time of my life.
[02:05]¡°When I got my first job and had responsibilities and got paid for my efforts, that was the best time of my life.
[02:17]¡°When I met my wife and fell in love, that was the best time of my life.
[02:26]¡°The Second World War came, and my wife and I had to flee Austria to save our lives.
[02:36]When we were together and safe on a ship bound for North America, that was the best time of my life.
[02:47]¡°When we came to Canada and started a family, that was the best time of my life.
[02:56]¡°When I was a young father, watching my children grow up, that was the best time of my life.
[03:06]¡°And now, Joe, I am seventy-nine years old. I have my health, I feel good and I am in love with my wife just as I was when we first met.
[03:23]This is the best time of my life.¡±