Memory Lane
George Carlin
George Carlin’s Views on Aging“How old are you?” “I’m four and a half!”
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.”
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! True…
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.
Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again.
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 work shop.” 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.
Always remember: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take out breath away…