Only those who live long enough get the opportunity to experience old age. It is truly a blessing to be able to live into old age. Some of us are there and others are well on our way there.
As I get close to singing the Beatles song “When I’m 64,” I hope I live long enough to experience old age first hand.
Not too long ago I came upon a daily calendar that shared a senior moment each day. It looked like it had some clever quotes in it so I decided to buy it. Let’s have some fun today and I will share with you some of its wisdom.
Some of the quotes seem to go in circles. I am not sure if it is my advanced age that make them hard for me to understand: I may need to ask my kids to explain them to me. Steven Wright said, “Right now I’m having amnesia and deja vu at the same time. I think I’ve forgotten this before” Congressman Dan Flood shared, “It is fitting that we pay tribute to Abraham Lincoln, who was born in a log cabin that he built with his own hands.” George Carlin said, “So far, this is the oldest I’ve been.” George H.W. Bush said, “I have opinions of my own - strong opinions - but I don’t always agree with them.” And his son George W. Bush shared, “I think we can agree. The past is over.”
There are quotes on how the world today looks different than it used to. George Burns said, “When I was a boy the Dead Sea was only sick.” Dwight Eisenhower shared, “Things are more like they are now than they ever were before.” Writer Jerry Wright said, “The first sign of maturity is the discovery that the volume knob also turns to the left.”
For seniors, each day should be considered a gift. Cartoonist Harry Hershfield spoke of his daily routine, “I wake up every morning at nine and grab for the morning paper. Then I look at the obituary page. If my name is not on it, I get up.”
There were many quotes on losing memory. George Burns said, “By the time you are 80 years old you’ve learned everything. You only have to remember it.” George Carlin shared, “I think it would be interesting if old people got anti-Alzheimer’s disease where they slowly began to recover other people’s lost memories.” Yogi Berra said, “You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you’re going because you might not get there.” Comedian Rida Rutner shared, “I never panic when I get lost. I just change where it is I want to go.” Several quotes had to do with how a person’s world view changes with age. Billy Crystal said, “By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step, he’s too old to go anywhere.” Voltaire wrote “What most persons consider a virtue, after the age of 40 is simply a loss of energy.” J.M. Barrie said, “ I am not young enough to know everything.”
Charles Barkley said, “The older I get, the faster I was.” British Politician Sir Richard Needham shared, “For the first half of your life, people tell you what you should do; for the second half they tell you what you should have done.” And columnist Bill Vaughan said, “Youth is when you’re allowed to stay up late on New Year’s Eve. Middle age is when you’re forced to.”
There are a few that address physical aspects of aging. Erma Bombeck said, “The only reason I would take up jogging is so that I could hear heavy breathing again.” Rodney Dangerfield shared, “I’m at the age where food has taken the place of sex in my life. In fact, I’ve just had a mirror put over my kitchen table.”
Some senior quotes are just outright clever. Rita Rudner said, “My grandmother was a very tough woman. She buried three husbands and two of them were just napping.” Joan Rivers commented, “Looking 50 is great-if you are 60” George Burns shared, “At my age, flowers scare me.” George Carlin said, “I was looking in the mirror the other day and I realized I haven’t changed much since I was in my twenties. The only difference is I look a whole lot older now.”
At age 100 George Burns commented, “I was brought up to respect my elders, so now I don’t have to respect anybody.” Mark Twain said, “Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of 80 and gradually approach 18.” Golda Meir shared, “Old age is like a plane flying through a storm. Once you’re aboard, there’s nothing you can do.” And Yogi Berra said, “Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t come to yours.”
Some quotes encourage seniors to not give up. Dave Barry said, “You can only be young once. But you can always be immature.” Novelist Terry Pritchett said, “Inside every older person is a younger person wondering what happened.” Poet Elizabeth Coatsworth said, “Only of one thing I am sure: When I dream, I am always ageless.” And Actress Mae West shared, “You’re never too old to become younger.”
Probably my favorite quotes are Steven Wright’s “I intend to live forever-so far, so good” and George Burns’ “I don’t believe in dying. It’s been done. I’m working on a new exit. Besides, I can’t die now-I’m booked.”
My challenge to you is to celebrate where you are today. Whatever your age, destiny has brought you to it. There are those out there who didn’t make it as far down the path of life as you have. Celebrate your life just where you are at! It is alright to find humor in the aging process.
In my life, as my hair continues to turn gray one hair at a time, I believe I have earned the right to celebrate each one of them.
Just some senior thoughts...
Rick Kraft is a motivational speaker, a syndicated columnist, a published author, and an attorney. To submit comments, contributions, or ideas, e-mail to rkraft@kraftlawfirm.orgmailto:thekraftlawfirm@aol.com or write to P.O. Box 850, Roswell, New Mexico, 88202 - 0850.
