“Set goals” and other insights from an elderly lady

Interviewer: What do you think is the most important lesson for young people?

Loretta: One thing that was said to me, and I think is the most important one, is to set goals.

If you set goals, even if they're way too big and you think it’s never going to happen, what will happen? All you do is risk falling short of that goal, but you've gotten further than if you didn't set it. Too many people just go along. Even if they get good jobs, make good money, a lot of friends, husbands, or all kinds of doctorate degrees . If you don't set goals, you kind of flow along. You get farther if you set a goal. Things like “I want to do this” or “I want to go there” are great.

Interviewer: What do you think was your goal in life? Did you feel that you achieved it? Did you feel that you maybe had some regrets?

Loretta: Well, I didn't have the opportunities. My parents didn't have money. My father was second married. He was very old when he had me. My mother had eye disease. So I didn't have any opportunities, I was told as I entered high school. At that time, not everyone was going to college. It was maybe like 60%. 

People in my generation got educated because of Vietnam.

The Vietnam War educated people. Your grandparents might have gotten educated if they were trying to avoid the draft. If you were in college and you had good grades, you wouldn't be drafted. 

Before I got out of high school, my mother said, “Take business classes. You're never going to be able to afford to go to college.” So the opposite of my kids. You're going to college no matter what!

So, it was that mindset when you're told, “No, there's no chance you're going to go to college” then you try to do the best you can with that.

I had thought one time I would have liked to have been a lawyer, to tell you the truth. But I don't know now if I would be, because of all the details and readings. I wouldn't have been able to do that. Unless I could have been a lawyer and then hired someone to do all my reading and things for me. 

I do know someone that was blind and he had someone do that for him and continued his law practice. But you know, there's ways around things. I just find ways. Getting anywhere is hard. I mean, for me, I use Lift. I'll tell them about my vision issue, get to the car, and have them bring me to the door of the restaurant. I come in and I go “Help!” and then I order. I eat and then leave.

I will say this, it's hard to believe, when they think you have a disability, I find people to be very nice. My son says to me, “Mom, you count on the kindness of strangers.” I say, “You know what? People are very nice.” 

I mean, I try to kind of pave my way. Like I ran several auctions for the youth group when my kids were going through, so they could go to West Virginia, mountains, and different places to work. It was great for the kids to go someplace and see what the real world is like outside of Lexington's world. 

So I think that that's another thing is to step out of Lexington. Step out of Lexington, if you can. See other places, and see how fortunate you are to be here.