wanderers. wonderers. creators. Meet Lido....

People who inspire for all kinds of reasons, small or big.

There are folks in my life who have inspired me to be better. They’re my mentors. My teachers. My heroes. They’ve shared their knowledge with me, patiently and gracefully. Some are older. Some are younger. Age doesn’t seem to matter. All are wise and doing what they love. Once in a while, I’ll be chatting with them about what makes them tick and sharing their stories with you. I hope you’ll feel energized by their insights. And, one day, perhaps you’ll be my next featured wanderer. wonderer. creator.

Lido Anthony Andreoni

Meet my dad, Lido Andreoni. This month he turns 94. He’s still enjoying the good life. I’ve always been impressed by his joyful spirit and have often wondered what his thoughts are about living long, staying happy and healthy and keeping a sense of humor. So, I asked him. Keep reading to find out what his lifelong secrets are.

(Diane) Hi daddio! Did you ever think you’d be wandering this earth in your nineties acting like you’re still in your seventies? 

(Lido) No. Ha ha. 

(Diane) How do you feel turning 94 this month? 

I feel fantastic right now except for my back. It hurts when I stand up for five minutes. Otherwise, I just got a lab report from my doctor and it’s perfect. 

(Diane) Looking back on your long life, do you have any words of wisdom you’d like to share for staying happy and healthy? 

(Lido)"Stay alive!" Seriously, I always tell people, if you have any questions about my life—"Read my book." Also, “Drink vodka!” Lol, no really,  I stopped drinking a while ago, sort of. The main thing is, you just don’t want to go backwards in life. And, try to eat less, lose weight and feel comfortable when you sleep. Stay active! And, I enjoy parties and my friends. 

(Diane) If you could have lived your life differently, what would you have changed about it?

(Lido) I don’t know. I wouldn’t change too much about it. I guess I should have paid more attention to family living when I was growing up. When you’re raised from a childhood with immigrant parents, it can be hard because you come from different cultures. I felt when I was growing older I had the opportunity to improve myself as much as possible. I had some problems with anxiety, like, “What am I gonna do now? ”You go through life and everything is like a chapter. The best thing that happened is when my friend told me to apply for a job that started my career. When I got the job I said, “I can’t believe this happened.” It was like a dream come true. It changed my life.

I love cooking but I can’t stand that long anymore. I would have loved to have opened a little restaurant to bring people together and enjoy my cooking.  

Top: Lido and his Italian-born dad, Solomono. Bottom: The chef!

(Diane) How do you keep your sense of humor? 

(Lido) I guess it’s in my nature to choose to be happy. I’ve had my moments. I’ve struggled in life and have regrets. You can’t do anything about it, though. You just have to keep going and don’t look back. No one is perfect. You can’t force yourself to be happy all the time. You go through cycles in life.

(Diane) I felt fortunate to have you and mom as my parents. Our home was filled with creativity, cooking and camping. I’ve always felt that mom’s legacy was that she wanted all of her kids to graduate college and she encouraged us to travel the world. What do you consider your legacy to be? 

(Lido) I talked to somebody about legacies. When I asked them what they thought having a legacy meant, they said, "You should have something that reminds people that you’ve accomplished something." Ask yourself what have you accomplished in your life? My legacy is that I wrote a book. I wrote about my good times and bad times. That book will be around for years, unless they throw it in the garbage. 

Lido's book "Under The Catalpa Tree"

(Diane) You are my most important critic when it comes to judging my paintings. For all of us artists out there, tell us what you think makes a great painting, and why?

(Lido) Your paintings are good. You have gone to school and learned how to make art. I had a taste of it when I was at the Institute of Design. That’s one of the reasons why I got into photography and everything else. I think art is in the eye of the beholder. A painting has to strike me as interesting. It needs to pop out at you—like 3-D.  

Me and my dad at my first painting show, "Sexo Expo" 

(Diane) Finally, you’re now enjoying sharing your life with your partner, Kathy, who we all love. How has she helped you grow as a person over the years? 

(Lido) Kathy, she’s a wonderful person. She has her problems, like everybody else! I love the way she takes care of me. I have to admit, I told her early on when we met, “I’m too old, I think we shouldn’t do this." She said, “How old are you?” I said, “I’m eighty years old and you’re only 60 (my age now). So if you feel like getting together with somebody else, then that’s okay with me." But we decided to stay together and it worked out. If you find a nice girl, treat her like a queen, because you’re gonna have her for a long time. And, that’s what happens to divorce. They don’t get along. BOOM. What happens? Arguments. If your partner says something you don't agree with, then you should say, “That’s right!” All the time. You should say, “You’re absolutely right!” and you’re never gonna get into trouble. If you don’t, you’ll start arguing, and she’s gonna go to bed, and you’re gonna go on the couch. 

Did I ever think I would be 94? NO. And neither did Kathy. It’s amazing that we’re still together and I’m not an invalid. So far, I try to be as healthy and free-spirited as possible. We like to have parties, she likes to cook and work. I like her to have a lot of fun. 

Dad + Kathy

(Diane) If you were to write her a poem, what would the first and last lines be? (Ha ha, this should be an interesting answer.)

(Lido) OMG, Jesus Christ Almighty. I don’t know. I’m not a poet. Poems are kind of hard to understand sometimes. I got a card for her for her birthday. I think it's pretty good. It reads....

Let’s get real; for a second

I don’t know what the world would do without you

Seriously, you’re like the most awesome kindest, absolute number one human being on the planet

I think my world would spontaneously combust if you’re not in it

Basically you’re the best and I hope you have the best birthday ever.

(Diane) Looking back on your life, do you have any final thoughts you want to share with us, besides "Read my book!"? 

(Lido) Sometimes it's good to reminisce. It’s funny, I look at pictures of people I knew, like mom when she was young (she stayed pretty young through the years). We were very good together. I love my kids. (I mentioned them in the book.) I wrote about each one individually. Never really thought I would have five kids! When mom passed away it was a sad ending to our story. But, yes, life does go on. And that’s the truth. 

Happy New Year!

Past and present...

Dad (Lido), Mom (Joan) + their kids: Thomas, Paula, Christine, Diane + Anthony

(Diane) Thanks so much dad for being my hero and always inspiring me to “be good”. I love you and am very happy you’re still here to tell us your stories and laugh with. Cheers! 

NOTE: If you're interested in reading my dad's book, send me a message. I'll see how much interest there is and perhaps I'll do a reprint of it.