I had lunch last week with my own personal brain trust; four friends who between them have 355 years of life experience on this planet.

The leader of the gang is Lorna Prentz who turned 98 on September 11. I met her for the first time in 2002 after she had heard me on the radio talking about my upcoming trip to Zimbabwe to work on a rural school project. She spent two days tracking me down so she could donate $200 to the cause.

Ever since I got back from that trip, two other Hidden Heroes, Bill and Pam Pineo, and I have gone over to Gabriola Island at least once a year to have lunch with Lorna. This year we took a new friend with us. Her name is Ruth Kossman (She’s the youngster in the crowd. She’s only 85. Bill and Pam are 86).

I always look forward to these visits and once again we had a wonderful time. Later as I thought more about our lunch,I realized that I really should share some of the wisdom I have picked up from these people over the years.

Perhaps the most powerful lessons I have learned came from Lorna. First I have never heard the word “wonderful” come out of anyone’s mouth nearly as often as I hear it from Lorna. She focuses on the very best in the people and things around her and guess what; she gets the very best in return from every one and every thing. People enjoy Lorna as much as or more than she enjoys them. As a result she never lacks for company or support. Have you ever noticed that negative people tend to have fewer friends?

Bill Pineo put it succinctly, what goes around comes around.

Lorna is also a great example of the importance of physical fitness. Even though she is legally blind and needs a walker, she still walks a mile almost every day. When she fell in the tub early this summer, everyone expected that she would have broken several bones but she didn’t. The doctors told her that more than likely it was because she has kept in such good physical (and mental) shape for a person her age. How’s your fitness level? Do you get exercise almost every day?

By the way when Lorna was in the hospital her room was “wonderful”, the meals were “wonderful”, the nurses were “wonderful”, and so on and, although she really wanted to get home, her hospital stay on the whole was really guess what, “quite wonderful”. In life you tend to get more of whatever you focus on.

Most of the other lessons I have learned have been taught to me by all four of these friends as I have watched them in action. They include:

• Find your passion and keep busy doing things that relate to that passion
• Keep alert and find every opportunity to make a difference for the people and the world around you
• Don’t let the little “important things” keep you from spending time, lots of time, with the people you love … and every chance you get tell them, and better yet, show them how much you love them
• We have two ears and only one mouth, be a good listener
• Be constantly aware of all the positive things in your life and appreciate them wholeheartedly
• Make every day count. Do at least one small thing each day to make a difference for yourself or someone else
• Forget about the negative people in your life and tell everyone you know about people who are doing good things … Perhaps you should tell them twice just in case they missed your story the first time.

The last lesson is what I try to put into practice each week in this column.