MICHELE NORRIS, host: David Greenberger spends his time traveling around the country collecting      old people's stories.  This one comes from Anna Traut, who lives in      Portland, Oregon.</s>DAVID GREENBERGER: `My husband's father was a genius.  He had 16 patents in his own name,      and he was a brain.  But he had no feeling, just all brains.  My husband,      he did as little as possible.  He didn't like to work.  I don't remember      how long we were married, but it seemed like a long time.  It was a lot      of fun to start with.  He just got a little sober when he got older, not      much fun, and you gotta keep me laughing if you want to make me happy.</s>DAVID GREENBERGER: `Anyway, he died.  Gosh, I can't remember when he died, but he died      early.  My daughter was still young.  He never appreciated her.  After      that, it was just me and my daughter, and I loved every minute of it.  We      were such good buddies that I didn't think she was missing anything, but      maybe I was wrong.  That's how it goes.  Anybody who thinks they can get      away without having bad times is not reading the fine print.  It's part      of the deal; it's a big part of the deal.  You see, my mother was only      educated through the fourth grade of school, and she was as smart as      anybody I ever knew.  So you don't need an education; you just gotta have      a good mind and be willing to learn.  You learn from living, and I have      lived.'</s>MICHELE NORRIS, host: That was David Greenberger relating a story he heard from Anna      Traut of Portland, Oregon.  The music is from a group called 3 Leg Torso.</s>MICHELE NORRIS, host: This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News.
David Greenberger listens to stories from seniors and then retells them, all set to imaginative music. Today we hear a story by Anna Traut from Portland, Ore. It's her philosophy on life and how to weather its ups and downs.