‘Make every day count’: Insights on having a happy life from a 101-year-old lawnmower

Adam finds out a century of insights from a 101-year-old lawn mower.

LANGLEY, B.C. — Although today is a special day, Dave Faulkner began it in an ordinary way.

“I get up every morning about 6 o’clock,” Dave says. “And I make porridge.”

It’s the same breakfast the 101-year-old has been eating since he could show his age with one hand.

“We didn’t even have a telephone,” Dave recalls.

While Dave remembers communicating through postcards and travelling on horses, he will never forget enduring the Great Depression.

“You couldn’t afford to buy a new thing,” Dave says, adding he was taught how to maintain everything. “You gotta have old stuff and fix it.”

Now instead of using a walker for stability, Dave pushes a cart filled with tools, so he’s prepared for any possibility.

“You never know what I’ll run into in a day,” Dave says.

Dave’s especially grateful to be good with his hands, since things have gone so bad with his eyes.

“I got a spot in the middle of my vision that blacks out.”

Dave says he’s almost blind, and “feels” how to prepare his ride-on lawnmower.

While his limited peripheral vision is foggy, Dave’s passion for mowing couldn’t be clearer.

“I like it,” Dave smiles. “It’s exciting.”

When asked how excited he is, on a scale of one to 10, Dave takes a moment before answering, “Eight.”

While lawn-mowing day’s score is strong, Dave’s work ethic is even stronger.

“Make every day count,” Dave says.

But if you ask Dave what he’s learned at the end of the day really counts, he’ll tell you about the 75 years he spent with his beloved Elsa.

“I married a lovely lady,” Dave says. “She looked after me and I tried to look after her.”

Dave will also tell you how proud he is of his three kids, including Jan, who’s visiting today.

“I love when they visit,” Dave says. “Something will happen, and you get a little laugh or a giggle.”

While Dave suggests you always put family first and never think twice about doing the right thing.

“Just try to be honest about everything,” Dave says.

And help people whenever you can. Although Dave’s too humble to mention it, his son says his dad volunteered in the community for decades.

While Dave doesn’t know the secret to his longevity, he has no doubt about the meaning of life.

“Try to be happy,” Dave says, before adding the best way to do that. “Try to make other people happy.”

And that is how you make every day, no matter your age, feel like 10 out of 10.