Another year...

Are you growing up or are you getting old?

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 80s 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. Never let the brain idle. " An idle mind is
the devil's
workshop." And the devil's 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.

And if you don't send this to at least 8 people -
who cares?
But do share this with someone. We all need to
live life to its fullest
each day.