I spent some time with my friend’s 101 year old grandmother this week. Sadly, her son-in-law had passed away after a really long battle with cancer.

I’ve always liked this woman. She reminds me of my own grandmother who I miss so much.   My friend’s grandmother is sharp, funny, and has sparkling blue eyes that are stunning even now.

So I asked– so what’s the secret of being 101?

“Poker.”

“Poker?” not thinking I heard her correctly.

“Yes, poker. I love to play poker.”

Turns out that a group of 70 year olds  that live in her building invited her to play poker with them once a week. She loves all types of poker and prefers it to Bridge any day.

“It’s really about having friends” she continued.  She explained that once her husband died, she moved and then didn’t have any friends.  It was very lonely…but then this one woman down the hall invited her to join the game.  She laughs that while this group of women (all comparatively much younger)  complain about their aches and pains, she doesn’t.  “What’s the point?”

So my take away….learn poker, don’t complain, and Carol King hit it on the head,  “you’ve got to have friends.”