How To Stay Young

You know why great comedians are so funny? Because their craft has always been to see the truth in our human nature.  They're never politically correct, even when that ridiculous movement was the trend. They hold up a mirror that most people find uncomfortable but in that discomfort it creates humor.  The greats know how to do that well. 

One of my favorite comedians is George Carlin.  Here is his brilliant monologue about aging.  At the end of his routine I included a list of ways to stay young that's been gathered through various sources; my view on how to keep life from making you bitter, jaded, and depressed.

(Begin)

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. . . YEAS!!!

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 80s 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!!

- George Carlin

(End)

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Do something active at least twice a week; something that will make you break a sweat.

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about computers, psychology, gardening, science, 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, friends, 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, to the next country, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Have a hobby that is supposedly meant for young kids; comics, video games, board games, ice skate, collect dolls (if you're a woman...don't collect dolls if you're a man, just don't do it).

11. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

12. Spend time with babies and toddlers.  A child's laugh is the purest joy on the planet.