George Carlin's Views on Aging

As I approach my sixty-fifty birthday, this seems like a timely post.  I keep asking myself, "When did I get old?"  I  went to bed one night, a young person, and woke up facing medicare...or so it seems.  Yes, I'm very grateful to still be here and I hope God allows me to hang around a while longer. I've got lots to accomplish and I just bought a new car.  :)

I've often heard that laughter can prolong your life...so my friends, read, laugh and live life like everyday is your last.  You never know if it might be.  To coin someone's brilliant words:  Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely, in a well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting, "holy sh*t...what a ride."  I'm sure Mr. Carlin did just that.  :)  He remains my favorite comedian although he's been gone for two years.

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:  

1.  Throw out nonessential numbers.  This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay them.

2.  Keep only cheerful friends.  The grouches pull you down.

3. 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    family name is    Alzheimer's.  

4.  Enjoy the simple things.  

5.  Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6.  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.

7. Surround yourself with what you love   , whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever.....Your home is your refuge .

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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 .