Another year older

“TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU’VE EVER BEEN, YET THE YOUNGEST YOU’LL EVER BE, SO ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS.”

These are the words that caught my attention as I was browsing through the immense volume of articles dedicated to welcoming of the New Year and when I read the rest of the article credited to an unknown source, it got me laughing so hard I feel like I need to share this with you:

Observations on Growing Older:

• Your kids are becoming you... and you don’t like them... but your grandchildren are perfect!

• Going out is good… coming home is better!

• When people say you look “Great…” they add “for your age!”

• When you needed the discount, you paid full price. Now you get discounts on everything... movies, hotels, flights, but you’re too tired to use them.

• You forget names.... but it’s OK because other people forgot they even knew you!!!

• The five pounds you wanted to lose is now 15 and you have a better chance of losing your keys--than the 15 pounds.

• You realize you’re never going to be really good at anything... especially golf.

• Your spouse is counting on you to remember things you don’t remember.

• The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that, you don’t care to do them anymore.

• Your husband sleeps better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than he does in bed. It’s called his “pre-sleep.”

• Remember when your mother said, “Wear clean underwear in case you GET in an accident?” Now you bring clean underwear in case you HAVE an accident!

• You used to say, “I hope my kids GET married... Now you say, “I hope they STAY married!”

• You miss the days when everything worked with just an “ON” and “OFF” switch.

• When google, ipod, email, modem were unheard of, and a mouse was something that made you climb on a table.

• You tend to use more four letter words... “What?”...”When?”... ???

• Now that you can afford expensive jewelry, it’s now not safe to wear it.

• Your husband has a night out with the guys, but he’s home by 9:00 p.m. Next week it will be 8:30 pm.

• You read 100 pages into a book before you realize you’ve read it.

• Notice everything they sell in stores is “sleeveless?!!!”

• What used to be freckles are now liver spots.

• Everybody whispers.

• Now that your husband has retired... you’d give anything if he’d find a job!

• You have three sizes of clothes in your closet... two of which you will never wear.

Another year added to our lives and let me say this: “It’s going to be wonderful! But it all depends on what one perceives and believes about aging and growing old.

Some people are afraid of growing old and this is not healthy. Growing old is an eventuality but enjoying the process is a choice. So be positive, inspire people, mentor the young and make yourself productive.

Health issues of course become a priority so watch carefully what you eat and do regular exercise. Somebody says, “Make sure you do a lot more exercise from the neck up.” This means you should keep learning things, and develop the mind. The mind works like muscles. – You lose it if you do not use it.

Next is determine not to be negative and have a healthy sense of humor. This is an old and familiar line but one that is still true today: “You don’t stop laughing because you have grown old. You have grown old because you have stopped laughing.”

Do not be sloppy. Dress well and be pleasant. Do not seek to quarrel with your children and your neighbors. But be a positive encouragement to your family. Eleanor Roosevelt says: “Beautiful young people are accidents of nature but beautiful old people are works of art.” And finally thank God for the gift of life and living.

And here is one most powerful word that can provide quality to aging and that one word is “Forgive.” Do not carry resentment, bitterness poisons the soul and it is not worth it.

Growing old gracefully is growing old beautifully and life has to be enjoyed.

Finally, somebody says: “Do not regret growing old. It is a privilege that is denied to many.” And I heartily agree.

Ken Blachard and John Maxwell’s accredited industry practitioners and subject matter experts join Francis Kong in an afternoon conference entitled: LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE -THE WINNING EDGE! On March 2, 2018 at the new and beautiful Marquis Events Place BGC. For registration and inquiries contact Jacque at 0917-8173736 or Mary at 09178173736 or call Inspire-UN Leadership Consultancy Inc. 777-6038)