By Tom Morrow
Back in the mid-sixties, (maybe it was ’64), there was a song with words to the effect, “Will You Love Me When I’m 64?”
In those days, I wasn’t quite 30, so forty-something years into the future seemed like a long, long time. It wasn’t.
I’ll soon be celebrating my 76th, if “celebrating” is the right word. In some service club circles you get fined for such things. There was a time when we got money on our birthday.
I love the routine George Carlin did so many times over years. As he observed: “The only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we’re kids. ‘I’m four and a half!’ You’re never 36 and a half. You’re four and a half going on five!”
George points outs, rightly, that when we go through our teen-age years, we don’t waste time with “halves,” we jump to the next year. When you’re 15, you confidently announce you’re 16, or “nearly 16.”
Once we turn 21, the downhill rush begins. To steal from George; we “turn 30,” — we “push 40,” — we “reach 50,” — but, we “make it to 60,” and – “Hit 70,” then promise ourselves we will see 75.
Oh boy — 76. Now I’m shooting for 80.
The bottom line is this: age is only a number. Okay, so the number can seem a bit daunting when it’s us actually experiencing that number.
I’m convinced the secret to old age is happiness with lots of activity. Keep busy at what you love doing. Me? Writing, music and community service keeps me busy, happy, retired or not.
If you worry about getting old; if you worry about whether your Social Security check will get lost in the mail, won’t stretch until the end of next month, or bounce at the bank, then you probably won’t “make it to 80.”
Relax and expect to see 90.
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E-mail Tom Morrow at: quotetaker1939@gmail.com