I recently traveled to Scottsdale, AZ for a friend’s bachelorette party. Tired from a weekend of shenanigans, I boarded my flight back to D.C. via Chicago anticipating nothing more than a long nap.

Far more valuable than a nap, I spent my flight engaged in conversation with the woman seated next to me – 94 year old Charlotte. She lost her husband a few years ago, and was en route to see her IDENTICAL TWIN sister in the Chicago suburbs. Turns out, she is a former real estate agent and broker with 47 years of experience in the business.

I took advantage of our time together and peppered her with tons of questions about her experiences in real estate. As you can imagine, she had some pretty incredible stories. Lucky for me, she was thrilled to talk to another agent. We chatted about interest rates being in the low 20’s, and the great housing explosion out west starting in the ‘60s and throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s. Being from the west, she said her business was heavily reliant on new construction from the start, and we talked about the nuances of buying from a developer. We also talked about how contracts have changed drastically to become fairer to both parties – except in the case of new construction (some things never change!).

Most importantly to me, we talked about how much she loved her work and how she was able to raise her family while working full time – a rare position for her generation. She was grateful to have found her work in real estate and said she wouldn’t change it for the world.

While I don’t have Charlotte’s years of experience, I couldn’t help but feel the same.

When the flight landed, I asked her if she was going to wait until everyone else de-planed so she could get her wheelchair. She said she didn’t want to, and would just walk off. As she scooted to the end of the row, she realized that while she could easily walk, she couldn’t easily stand up. So a team of passengers happily lifted her from the seat and she bounded down the aisle like a spry 70 year old off to see her sister.

I’m grateful I got to meet and Charlotte and hear her stories. I hope that I am as happy, healthy and content with my life at 94 as she is. We should all be so lucky.

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