It was June 15，and in two days I would be turning thirty. I was insecure about entering a new decade of my life and feared that my best years were now behind me.
My daily routine included going to the gym for a workout before going to work. Every morning I would see my friend Nicholas at the gym. He was seventy-nine years old and in terrific shape. 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. I told him I was feeling anxious about turning thirty. I wondered how I would look back on my life once I reached Nicholas’s age，so I asked him，“What was the best time of your life?”
Without hesitation，Nicholas replied，“Well，Joe，this is my philosophical answer to your philosophical question.”
“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.
When I was going to school and learning the things I know today，that was the best time of my life.
When I got my first job and had responsibilities and got paid for my efforts，that was the best time of my life.
When I met my wife and fell in love，that was the best time of my life.
The Second World War came，and my wife and I had to flee Austria to save our lives. When we were together and safe on a ship bound for North America，that was the best time of my life.
When we came to Canada and started a family，that was the best time of my life.
When I was a young father，watching my children grow up，that was the best time of my life.
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. This is the best time of my life.“