| May 2009
Hello friends.
The late comedian George Carlin
was a true piece of work. He wrote the following which provides
a great perspective on aging and how to think about this aspect
of the journey. Enjoy.
-Doug
George Carlin's Views on Aging
Do you realize
that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when
we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited
about aging that you think in fractions.
'How old are you?' 'I'm
four and a half!' You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four
and a half, going on five! That's the key.
You get into your teens,
now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even
a few ahead.
'How old are you?' 'I'm gonna be 16!' You could
be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of
your life ! You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!
But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened
there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw
him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's
wrong? What's changed?
You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you
know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.
But wait!!! You
MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!
So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.
You've built up so much
speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you
HIT Wednesday!
You get into your 80's and every day is a complete
cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it
doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; 'I
Was JUST 92.'
Then a strange thing happens. If you make it
over 100, you become a little kid again. 'I'm 100 and a half!'
May
you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!
HOW TO STAY YOUNG
- Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about
them. That is why you pay 'them.'
- Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
- Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening,
whatever, even ham radio. Never let the brain idle. 'An idle
mind is the devil's workshop.' And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.
- Enjoy the simple things.
- Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
- The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only
person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE
while you are alive.
- Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family,
pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your
home is your refuge.
- Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is
unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get
help.
- Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to
the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt
is.
- Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
AND
ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by
the moments that take our breath away.
We all need to live life to its fullest each day!!
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