By Karen Guice | Webster Parish Council on Aging
Karen’s Korner,
I have been reading this little book entitled, “The Older I Get – The Better I Am.” It was edited by Lois L. Kaufman and Claudine Gandolfi.
The introduction includes a quote by Bernard Baruch: “To me, old age is always fifteen years older than I am.” And I think that most of us who have reached our “golden years,” believe that to be true. We are not really “that “old.
I will run into old classmates of mine, and I think one of two things. “Ya know, they haven’t changed a bit,” or “Age has not been too very kind to them.” But who am I to judge? I’m just glad I’m still kicking.
I think most folks feel that age is just a state of mind, or the better definition that was penned by Mark Twain. “Age is a matter of the mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
“Some say that life begins at 50, but so do liver spots, thinning hair and high fiber diets, to list a few!” Others say that “At 60 the fun doesn’t end; there are just more naps in between.”
And then there are those who remember some of those things that never really happened, or they may have happened; but not exactly the way they remember. There is always a bit of enhancement.
Oscar Wilde puts it this way: “Memory is the diary that chronicles things that never have happened and couldn’t possibly have happened.” (We just thought they did!)
There are some pros…Isn’t it nice to know that the older you get the more your childhood play things are worth? I love that one. My $10.00 Tiny Tear’s Doll goes for $38.00 to over $500.00 or even more today, depending on the model. Wish I still had mine.
Emily Dickinson said, “We turn not older with years, but newer every day.”
“As long as we are still seeking, still learning, and still truly living our lives to the fullest, we will never grow old, older maybe, but never old.” (Karen Guice)