Wondering why the sudden thoughts on age and all of that ? Well..it happens and I guess one is entitled to pensiveness , once a year when the birthday has come and gone, reminding you of the inevitability of transcience and yet the urgent need for positivity that ought to envelop us at all times.
Received this from a ‘good friend’ who timed it perfectly. It is so inspiring that sharing on ‘Sachiniti’ was as if paramount..
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
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.
Sachiniti 
This was so insightful..and something I needed most urgently. have been driving the wife silly at ‘pushing 40’..
Belated happy birthday 🙂
Comment by dilip — April 17, 2008 @ 1:12 pm |
on the tips on how to remain young i do max 2..im going to get really old really soon..but useful tips ..so true. I have an aunt who laughs at the crappiest things and she never ages..more or less been constant ..I find it difficult to laugh loudly..and the laughter club dudes I never understood..but i think i will do it more often now..happy, haapy happy birday..belated.
Comment by Neha — April 17, 2008 @ 2:54 pm |
Made my day 🙂
Comment by Krishnan — April 18, 2008 @ 6:41 pm |
Belated happy birthday !!!
So you are in BECOME ? TURN ? PUSH ? or REACH ? and.. I am confident it is not beyond that.-).. Hope I am not asking too personal question..
Comment by Rajeev — April 18, 2008 @ 7:23 pm |
Yeah Dilip…intuitively we all need some pep talk frequently.
neha..brush up quick baby…Im sure you dont want to end up looking like lalita pawar..no offence meant to the dear soul but honesty she was the epitome of disgruntlement..
Rajeev.. you must be kidding pal..I am yet in the ‘gonna be’ or at most ‘becoming’ stage..Ahh well..I confess..That is how I feel. In fact there should also have been a barometer gaging mental age+ physical fitness + real age and then deduced to a kind of figure. But finally..what is age..only a number that matters little. Come to think of it, its one number you hate to see increasing, diametrically opposite to bank figures.. what say 🙂
Thanx for the b’day wishes guys..
Comment by kaveetaakaul — April 19, 2008 @ 2:46 pm |
Kaveetaa,
It is nice to see that you are still considering yourself in the becoming stage.. As far as barometer is concerned, if one really debates on that then I believe the list of parameters would keep on growing.. some one may like to add money some others success etc.. But yes the basic parameters can be these 3. Also as the author has rightly said “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” .. It is not important to just see the figure of age but also how those years went by..
As far as bank figures are concerned, sure everyone would like to see it increasing but if one is just caring about bank balance then the anxiety of bank balance would ensure that the person will feel more aged than he actually is..In this regard here are 2 lines from great saint kabir,
Chinta Aisee Dakini, Kat Kaleja Khaye
Vaid Bichara Kya Kare, Kahan Tak Dawa Lagaye
Comment by Rajeev — April 21, 2008 @ 8:32 pm |
This is the most interesting post I’ve ever read this week. 🙂 It also got me thinking if I’m afraid of aging or not.
Comment by Cincinnati Retirement Planning — May 16, 2008 @ 1:56 pm |