I Was On a Bus With Older People For 3 Days + This is What I Learnt

​“The experience of reconnecting with people brought out humour, sarcasm and a funny side of me I never knew I had.”

Older people rock. This is why.

On a long weekend in Greece recently, I joined a group tour.

Think sightseeing, big bus and buffet.

I wanted to explore part of Greece I hadn’t seen for years, so I joined an organised tour and headed to Kalambaka to see the imposing + mysterious Meteora.

I was amongst the youngest passengers on tour with the average age being 70.

I was hanging with the grey set. A bus full of old timers - baby boomer territory.

We hit the road for what was an unforgettable three day experience. The trip was thought provoking and emotional but not for the reasons I expected.

Whilst I loved the mystical monasteries of the Meteora, the stunning man made Lake Plastira and the picturesque villages we explored - it was the humanity and humility I experienced that touched me.

People from all over Greece, all walks of life, came together - not just to tour but to connect.

It’s the people that make the journey and I was about to learn some valuable life lessons from people who’ve lived.

This is what I learnt.


We can always reinvent ourselves [and should]

Now in his late 70s, Dimitris held the position of a high level secret services operative until his 50s.

He assumed the role of the unofficial cohost on the trip - second to our amazing guide Stamatina.

He would engage with Stamatina as she explained what we were seeing and its significance.

His commentary from the back of the bus was hilarious. His well spirited nature created a happy vibe for everyone on tour.

In conversation he revealed he wasn’t always the funny guy.

“I saw a lot of hard things in my working life. It changed me for a long time and suppressed who I was. I was too serious. I wasn’t happy. I was burdened. I carried a lot of emotional weight and stress on my shoulders.”

“I would leave for work in the morning and return late at night.”

“It wasn’t until I retired that I went for a walk in the middle of the day and saw so many people enjoying a coffee or a meal with friends and I thought what is going on here - how could I have missed out on so much of this? So many moments.”

“The experience of reconnecting with people brought out humour, sarcasm and a funny side of me I never knew I had.”

“I haven’t stopped making people laugh. It's a new me.”

“And we’ve been suffering ever since,” his wife quips. A line delivered with dry perfection and prompted more laughs from the group.


Be good to each other

Two ladies who met on the trip Anna + Aspa, together with our guide Stamatina, showed so much support to each other and to less able bodied passengers - it was truly touching. Humans just helping humans. No expectation of anything in return.

All three would slow their pace to walk to accompany slower moving elderly passengers - gently holding their arm to support, they would tenderly walk by their side.

These were strangers who were showing compassion and humanity to each other. They were also constantly making sure everyone was well fed and looked after.

They didn’t need to do this. They wanted to. The dynamic they brought to the group  was important. They instilled a deep sense of empathy as a foundation to how we all treated each other.

“Love is all we leave behind,” shares Stamatina. 

​
No complexities

“When you’re in a body that’s lived, not everything is going to work like it once did and that’s ok, you make the most of it,” Voula said.

“My body works well enough for me to be here and that’s enough.”

“The way you look, what you wear what people think of you - doesn’t matter and it never really did.”

“At times in our lives, we give too much attention to those thoughts and it creates complexes in each of us. Let it go. It doesn’t matter.”

“Just think free.”


Time [Use it wisely]

In conversation with Dimitri, he opened his well worn leather wallet to show me a snapshot of his family.

“This is us when the children were little, “ he said as he pointed to the picture with his deep lined fingers.

“This is my son sitting on my wife’s lap and my daughter standing by her. That’s me on the side. It feels like yesterday. It actually does.”

The photo was taken in 1979.

“Like yesterday. Where did it go?”

He was reflective and in disbelief in his realisation the photo was taken 40 years ago.

He pauses and takes a deep breath.

“Time is a gift son - use it wisely.”

Life lessons from people who’ve lived, loved and experienced this thing called life.

This wasn’t just another tour. This was a transformation.