THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH

   In the Middle Ages there was a legend that somewhere in the New World was a “Fountain of Youth.” If old men drank from it, it made them young again.

   No one has ever found a fountain with such miraculous waters. But roundabout us is a “Fountain of Youth” which few recognize. The real Fountain of Youth is a useful work.

   Some people who retire prematurely age faster in their idleness than they ever did in full-time employment. Nothing is more boring and tiresome than not having work to do when one is still young enough to need its stimulation.

   Too many people associate purposeful work with profitable work. They cannot interest themselves in any kind of occupation unless someone is willing to
pay them for it. And yet there are many useful things in every community which need to be done, just for the satisfaction of doing them.

  People who want to find the Fountain of Youth should look for opportunities to serve. When they find something that needs to be done, which they can do well, they will gain a new purpose in living. It will make them feel much younger than their age shows.

                                                                        - Gems of Thought