By Kayla DeKraker
Legendary actor Henry Winkler wants you to stay present and connected with those around you.
“I wanted to talk about though, after so many years in this industry, so many interviews, so many people you’ve met, what is it that keeps you connected in that moment, and…there’s no sort of wall that you put up?” Women’s World’s Liz Vaccariello asked Winkler.
“Do you know what I think, I the answer that I’ve come up with is I am so grateful to be on the earth,” the HAPPY DAYS star said. “I am so grateful to be in the moment.”
He added, “It’s the only thing that matters. It’s the only thing.”
Related: Henry Winkler Asks: Did I Use my God-Given Talents the Right Way?
Winkler’s philosophy reflects Matthew 6:34.
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own,” Jesus says.
The 80-year-old takes this living-in-the-moment attitude to social media, too.
Winkler recently posted a photo of Charlie Brown and Snoopy.
In the photo, Charlie says, “We only live once, Snoopy,” to which Snoopy responds, “Wrong! We only die once. We live every day.”
Winkler said it’s important to be able to pivot or take a different path than expected.
“Lynn Oliver and I sometimes on Zoom, sometimes in the same office, we have a whole outline of where this particular book is going. And one day as we’re writing, the book on its own takes a left,” he explained. “It just starts going off into a whole other direction. And you don’t stop it. You go, but you know, we had an outline. You throw the outline out and you just go, ‘Hey, wait for me. Hey, wait for me.’”
Winkler added, “I believe pivoting is one of the keys to living.”
For him, pivoting meant learning to live with dyslexia.
“My parents were embarrassed because I wasn’t a good student. I didn’t reflect well on them, but I couldn’t do the work because of my dyslexia,” the actor said. “For a moment, it made me retreat so that I was not a whole person, even though I looked like one on the outside as an adult. It took me a long time, and I found a therapist about 11 years ago [who helped me overcome it] and if I were to give her a present, it would have to be the size of a skyscraper.”
Winkler’s wisdom is a great reminder that we should be grateful for every moment we have, whether it’s how we planned or not.
Read Next: Drew Barrymore Says Henry Winkler’s Kindness Changed Her Life
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