Life lessons from Sylvia Hill after 94 years

BUFFALO SPRINGS LAKE, Texas (KCBD) - If you go to Sylvia Hill’s house in Buffalo Springs Lake, she’ll probably meet you halfway down the stairs. She says, “I love to exercise. It’s part of being alive.”

Looking back at her 94 years, she says she sees her life as a series of adventures from raising a family to learning how to fly a plane. She says, “On my solo flight that you have to take the first one. I was so happy when I landed safely and got out of that plane. I just fell on my knees and praised the Lord!” She says eventually, she and her husband flew all over the country.

As a widow for the past 20 years, she has settled at Buffalo Springs Lake to enjoy a beautiful view from her deck. But that doesn’t mean she just sits in a rocker.

In 2019, she was recognized by President Trump for her continued volunteer service in working with the prison ministry. A friend, Cindy Reed, says, “Anytime we have a need, she’s our prayer warrior.”

Another friend, Robyn Rogers, agrees, “She’s been a mentor for us for so many years. She’s made us all better for knowing her.”

There are a lot of stairs up to Sylvia’s deck before she even reaches the door to get into her house. And she finds many reasons to come down all those stairs every day… to get the mail … take out the trash… or visit a friend. In all, she says she goes up and down the front stairs to her house 8 or 10 times a day, not to mention the back stairs that take her to her garden.

And there’s more.

Sylvia says, “Inside. We have the circular stairs.”

She’s talking about the spiral staircase inside her house. She uses that a lot because her daughter lives on that lower level.

And there’s more.

You have to see it to believe what this 94 year old does every day because she thinks climbing stairs is not enough to exercise her heart.

And exercise is only part of her secret to a long, healthy life.

I’m so glad I met Sylvia Hill in our coverage of Buffalo Springs Lake.

She has a lot to say… and all of it is worth remembering.

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