“AN OLD-TIMER IS A MAN WHO’S HAD A LOT OF INTERESTIN’ EXPERIENCES IN LIFE—SOME OF ‘EM TRUE!”
Every once in a while, you meet someone whose years tell as many stories as their words do—the kind of person whose life has gathered more stories than most of us will ever see. Some of those tales are funny, some are tender, and some carry more truth than they let on. We’re reminded that wisdom doesn’t always come from books—it comes from lives lived fully, faithfully, and sometimes painfully. In a world that moves too fast, their quiet wisdom reminds us to slow down, listen close, and learn from the voices that have walked these trails before us. This is a tribute to those voices… and the truths we’re meant to carry forward.
If there’s one thing we oughta remember, it’s that an old-timer ain’t just an old man sittin’ in the shade whittlin’ away at a stick—he’s a walkin’, talkin’ history book with pages full of lessons, laughter, and more’n a few tall tales sprinkled in for good measure.
Some of those stories might have grown a little bigger with time—like a fish that was this big last year but somehow got that big today.
But does it really matter?
It ain’t so much about whether every detail is exact as it is about the wisdom wrapped up inside. Sometimes, the best way to pass down an important lesson is to dress it up a little—make it worth listenin’ to.
And if a man’s lived long enough to tell stories, odds are he’s got somethin’ worth hearin’… if we’ve got the good sense to listen.
“There’s treasure sittin’ in those chairs… but you gotta take the time to dig for it.”
Now, age don’t make a man perfect, but it sure gives the good Lord plenty of time to hand him a whole heap of lessons—what he does with ‘em is up to him.
Not every old-timer is a saint. Some of ‘em are just plain cantankerous, and some’ll stretch the truth so far you could use it to rope cattle!
But even then, there’s value in sittin’ a spell.
Maybe they’ve earned the right to be a little cranky. Life has a way of takin’ a toll, and some of ‘em have had harder trails to ride than most of us could imagine.
That don’t mean they ain’t worth listenin’ to. Even the grouchiest old coot might have a lesson buried in all that grumblin’, and if nothin’ else, they’ll sure make you appreciate patience.
Old-timers don’t get the attention they oughta these days.
The world moves fast, always chasin’ the next new thing, and too many folks leave the past sittin’ in a rocker on the porch, forgotten.
That’s a mighty big mistake.
“The world treats old age like a burden, but God sees it as a gift.”
That treasure ain’t always in what they say, neither. Sometimes it’s in the way they carry themselves—the quiet confidence of a man who’s been through more than he lets on.
It’s in the patience of a woman who’s seen every kind of trouble roll through but still manages to put a warm meal on the table and a kind word on her lips.
It’s in their faith, their gratitude, and their understandin’ that life don’t owe nobody nothin’—but the good Lord gives plenty to those who trust Him.
“A gray head is a crown of glory; it is found in the way of righteousness.”
Ever noticed how an old-timer’s eyes light up when somebody actually stops to listen? You’d think they just struck gold.
It don’t take much—just a bit of time, a little respect, maybe a cup of coffee and a good question to get ‘em goin’.
And what do we get in return?
More than we bargained for.
We get wisdom.
We get patience.
We get a new way of lookin’ at things.
We get reminded that the struggles we think are unique to us have been around since dirt… and maybe—just maybe—the folks who’ve already lived through ‘em might know how to handle ‘em.
“There ain’t much in this world more valuable than sittin’ with somebody who’s walked with God for a lifetime.”
And if an old-timer happens to know the Lord?
Well now, that’s a whole other kind of treasure.
There ain’t much in this world more valuable than sittin’ with somebody who’s walked with God for a lifetime. That kind of faith don’t come easy. It’s been tested, stretched, and sometimes near worn out—but it’s still standin’.
They’ve seen God’s hand in the good times and the bad, and they ain’t afraid to tell ya about it.
“I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging for bread.”
There’s a reason the Good Book tells us to respect our elders… to learn from ‘em… to honor ‘em.
The world treats old age like a burden, but God sees it as a gift.
He don’t let folks hang around this earth for decades just for the fun of it—there’s purpose in it. He’s shaped them, refined them, given them wisdom that younger folks ain’t had time to earn yet.
And if we’re smart, we’ll pull up a chair and soak up every bit of it we can before it’s too late.
Ain’t it somethin’ how folks go their whole lives wantin’ to be seen, heard, and valued… but when they get old, too many people stop seein’ ‘em?
Maybe that old fella sittin’ alone at the diner don’t have anybody left to share a meal with.
Maybe the grandma rockin’ on the porch used to have a house full of kids, but now the silence is all she hears.
It don’t take much to make their day—a simple conversation, a question about the past, maybe just a moment to say:
“I’d sure like to hear what you think about this.”
And you know what?
“Someday, we’re gonna be the old-timers!”
One day, if the Lord sees fit to give us that many years, we’ll be the ones watchin’ the world move too fast, hopin’ somebody stops long enough to listen.
We’ll be the ones with stories to tell, wisdom to share, and memories that might be half-true but all the richer for it.
Wouldn’t we want somebody to take the time for us?
So next time we pass by an old-timer, let’s not be in such a hurry.
Let’s stop.
Sit a spell.
Listen.
Let’s bring the kids along.
Let ‘em hear the stories.
Let ‘em learn that wisdom don’t come from books alone, but from those who’ve lived long enough to know what matters.
Let’s remind the older folks that they still matter—that their voices ain’t lost in the wind—and that what they’ve seen and lived through is valuable.
‘Cause when we do that, we ain’t just givin’ them a gift… we’re givin’ ourselves one too.
“The greatest loss ain’t in what time takes from us, but in what we fail to carry forward.”
If this reflection brings something good to your day, you’ll find more stories just like it in Grit, Wit & Wisdom—a collection shaped by faith, character, and the steady humor of the Old West. You can pick up your copy now on Amazon.com. And you’re welcome to pull up a chair anytime at WyattsTrail.com and walk the trail with me awhile.
Scripture quotations in this post are from the NASB 1995, New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org.