Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I know not all countries celebrate Thanksgiving but all of us can be thankful for the many blessings we have on this day. One of the many things I am thankful for is the availability of good books and the wisdom their authors share.
This morning I started reading Dick Van Dyke’s book called KEEP MOVING and Other Tips and Truths About Aging (only $11 on Amazon). I planned to read it and then share some of the best parts with you. I still plan to do just that but I already want to share some of the introduction from KEEP MOVING. Yes, it was that good! Here it is:
“Old age should be revered, admired, respected, treated to dinner, opened and allowed to breathe like a fine wine, given aisle seats on an airplane, helped up the stairs, and looked upon with patience, especially in the checkout line at the grocery store. Old people like to make conversation with the checkers. If approached correctly, says this former Boy Scout, old age should be considered a merit badge for a life well lived. Old age should be a lot of things. But it should not be rushed.
I am 89 years old as I write this at my home in Malibu, California, which means I am in my 90th year on this planet, and by definition, I am old. Very old, I suppose–older than the average male, who now lives to be 76.4 years old (the average female lives to be 81.2). But if you are 65 or thereabouts today, your life expectancy is even longer. You should start thinking of 65 as the new 40. In other words, you aren’t old yet–you are merely on the launching pad of old age.
I am not going to deny the harsh realities of living a long life, because I have experienced my share of them. But there is a flipside to old age, and as a card-carrying the-glass-is-half-full optimist, I am going to unfurl the gray flag, wave it proudly, and declare that getting old doesn’t have to be a dreary weather report.
In this book I am going to tell you that the person with gray or thinning hair, wrinkles, dark spots, sagging skin, a slight stoop, cloudy vision and ears that may need fine tuning is you. But I am also going to tell you the truth about this new normal, formally known as geezer-dom: you don’t have to act your age. You don’t even have to feel it. And if it does attempt to elbow its way into your life, you do not have to pay attention.
If I am out shopping and hear music playing in a store, I start to dance. If I want to sing, I sing. I read books, and get excited about new ideas. I enjoy myself. I don’t think about the way I am supposed to act at my age–or at any age. As far as I know, there is no manual for old age. there is no test you have to pass. There is no way you have to behave. There is no such thing as ‘age appropriate.’
On the following pages you will find my tips and truths about life as your hair grays, your knees wear out, you need glasses to find your glasses, and you ask, ‘How the hell did this happen to me?’
As you will discover, I try to keep things simple. A friend of mine once said, ‘Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.’ She was right.
One more thing: old age is not a death sentence. It’s a stage of life. And…and…I forgot what I was going to say.
That happens too….”
Have a very blessed Thanksgiving Day and thank you for visiting LivingLifeRetired.com.
Sherry