George Burns said, “You can’t help getting older, but you can help getting old.” Aging is a subject on which everyone is an expert. It’s because it affects everyone.
I hear people in their 30’s and 40’s complaining about aging. I’m happy to be aging because I’m not too fond of the alternative. I don’t know what the threshold is when we become labeled as a Senior Citizen. I’m not for sure the label “Senior Citizen” really means anything outside of some monetary discounts. And companies aren’t even consistent on this issue.
AARP sends us their invitation to join when we turn 50. IHOP lets you order off of their Senior Citizen menu at 55. At other restaurants, it’s 60 or 65. I saw an offer the other day that said, “Discounts offered for those 70 or over!” It was probably for something like surfboards, roller blades, or cell phone texting – things that people over 70 rarely use. I know it wasn’t for hearing aids.
So…I’m confused. When do I become the proverbial Senior Citizen? The old cliché, “You’re only as old as you feel” came to mind but it’s really not definitive either. So I developed a test along the lines of Jeff Foxworthy’s “You are a redneck if…” to help me to understand. Feel free to comment at the end of this post to add some of your own.
You are a Senior Citizen if….
…your knees buckle but your belt won’t!
…you have more hair in your ears and nose than on your head!
…your favorite game is “Sag – you’re it!”
…you’ve still got it but nobody wants to see it!
…you start making the same noises as your coffee pot!
…an “all nighter” means not having to get up and go to the bathroom!
…brain cells come and brain cells go but fat cells live on forever!
…you have first hand knowledge that you shouldn’t take a sleeping pill and laxative on the same night!
Do you get my point? We only become old when we quit finding the humor in aging. It is all about mindset. How do we view our aging process? Like everything else in life, I view it with a healthy dose of humor. If there was ever a stage in our lives when we need to laugh at ourselves, it’s when we become pre-occupied with aging.
I plan on keeping this in mind so I can age more gracefully. Humor will benefit me – and hopefully keep Jan from electing to stop my aging process, if you get my drift.
And of course, it will benefit our son and his family. They’ll have enough to deal with in their lives without having to humor a grumpy old coot! And wouldn’t it be great for them, after I’m gone, if their memories of me are of the times my sense of humor helped them feel better – not of the times I complained about getting older!
“Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise
they won’t come to yours!”
Yogi Berra
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Just like the anchor factory, Jim Bob, you have a WEIGH with words! Well-spoken–again.
Puts me in mind of the retirement community out close to Phoenix. Welcome sign reads: “Welcome to, uh, maybe it is Sun City–Where Mid-Life Begins at 70!”
The sign doesn’t have the “uh, maybe it is” in it, but that’s thrown in because I ain’t sure which of the retirement communities boast this sign. They’ve got eight or ten of ‘em around Phoenix!
Dear Jim Bob,
I take a health newsletter called Health and Healing by Dr. Whitaker(which I would recommend that you take). It has an article in it this month that I thought would interest you. The rest is a quote from that newsletter:
“Everyone knows that laughter can do wonders for the heart and soul, and a wealth of studies demonstrate that it enhances overall well-being. In addition to promoting arterial health, lowering levels of stress hormones and triggering the release of mood boosting endorphins, a good chuckle can also reduce some of the risk factors for heart attack.
California researchers divided high-risk paatients with diabetes into two groups. Along with their standard heart, diabetes, and cholesterol drugs, people in the first group were asked to view 30 minutes of humorous material of their choosing every day. The other group was treated solely with medications. After one year , the patients “treated”with humor had lower levels of inflammatory markers (cytokines and C-reactive protein) and higher levels of protective HDL Cholesterol. Furthermore, the laughter group had a lower incidence of heart attacks. This study, which is just one among many in the growing field of mind-body medicine, underscores the fact that a little mirth does a body good. So sit back and laugh your way to better health.”
Phil, thanks for the info. I’ll be sure and sign-up for the newsletter!