If a life is a sum of one’s stories, than with each year our own story becomes a little richer. It’s no surprise then that some of SMITH’s most passionate members have been around a while. The above image is a scan of a card I received from Joan Marren of Dunellen, NJ. I don’t know if Joan heard about the Six-Word Memoir project from NPR or AARP, if she has a computer or simply prefers the old-school post. But I do know that receiving her purple-flowered card in the mail has been among the best moments of 2009. Inside the card, Joan writes: “I have a day left of 80! So:

Eighty— Fast, Furious, Funny, Fruitful—Forward—.

Wearing the SMITH Mag tee we’re sending to Joan’s return address, we hope she’s the hippest octogenarian on the block.