On a flight from Detroit to Los Angeles this summer and sitting next to me is an 88-year old man who is also blind. I couldn’t stop thinking about what on earth he was doing on a plane alone. He was eager to chat and we talked about a wide range of topics from geography to why Delta airline keeps purchasing old jets.

I asked him how often he gets to travel. “I will visit LA for a few days, then travel to a couple of cities in Arizona before going back to Hawaii. And in 3 weeks, I will be back here for an event”, he said. I told him I admire his courage to do this at 88 considering his condition. His answer was full of wisdom:

“it is important that you keep going. Don’t stop. Because as soon as you stop, it’s over”

Equally important is that he’s also found smart ways to keep going. On our 4-hour flight, he refused to drink water or take any snack. I asked him why. His response was even deeper: “As soon as I take any of those things, I will have to use the restroom. From my experience, it’s better to stay away from them”.

No matter what, keep going and figure out how to keep going along the way!