People often worry if they will regret certain decisions down the road. Life is full of hard choices and different paths. Many times, you use the information at hand to make decisions and move forward. What if you could fast forward to 90 years old and see how your choices played out? See what decisions you're glad you made and see what things in your life you regret? You may not be able to do exactly that, but Church minister Lydia Sohn has done something similar. It would benefit people of all ages to read about what she discovered and learned during the process.

Sohn decided to interview congregants who were in their 90s about what they've learned during their many years alive. Her findings surprised her in some ways and motivated her to embrace aging and to prioritize certain things in life. So, what were the highlights of her interviews?

Perhaps the biggest takeaway of all was the importance of relationships. Overall, Sohn found that respondents' joys and regrets have nothing to do with their careers, but with their parents, children, spouses, and friends. Regrets came in the form of relationships that didn't work out positively, for whatever reason, or lack of time spent working on relationships with loved ones. Familial fractures between respondents and their children, or between their children, caused the most pain and sorrow.

The biggest joys? Respondents recalled times when spouses were alive, and their children were younger and living at home. Sure, these times were the most stressful and chaotic, but that's when respondents were happiest, too.

Perhaps happiness is complex. This is a reminder to make time for the people you love. Careers are important, but nothing came close to the importance of family and friends to the respondents.

Sohn was also surprised at how many of the older congregants still loved deeply and vibrantly; many still wanted to be wooed, and many fell in love again at an older age.

As far as beauty and aging is concerned, respondents who valued physical appearance the most had the hardest time accepting aging. The peak of this grief came in their 70s and diminished after that. People who never placed much value in physical beauty didn't have as hard of a time adjusting to changes in appearance during the aging process. This finding should encourage all of us to try and focus less on physical beauty and to develop other areas in our lives that can give us joy and satisfaction.

Sohn wraps up her article with this thought: "I confess that, prior to my conversations, I had an intense fear about growing old. This, I realize, was what motivated me to begin this research in the first place. I assumed the elderly lost their vibrancy and thirst for life. That couldn't be further from the truth. They still laugh like crazy, fall in love like mad, and pursue happiness fiercely."