Being Old

By Diane Forrest

Age-Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.

This is how it manifests:

I decide to water my garden.

As I turn on the hose in the driveway,

I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.

As I start toward the garage,

I notice mail on the porch table that

I brought up from the mail box earlier.

I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.

I lay my car keys on the table,

Put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table,

And notice that the can is full.

So, I decide to put the bills back

On the table and take out the garbage first...

But then I think,

Since I'm going to be near the mailbox

When I take out the garbage anyway,

I may as well pay the bills first.

I take my checkbook off the table,

And see that there is only one check left

My extra checks are in

my desk in the study,

So I go inside the house to my desk where

I find the can of Pepsi I'd been drinking.

I'm going to look for my checks,

But first I need to push the Pepsi aside

So that I don't accidentally knock it over.

The Pepsi is getting warm,

And I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the

kitchen with the Pepsi,

A vase of flowers on the counter

Catches my eye--they need water.

I put the Pepsi on the counter and

Discover my reading glasses that

I've been searching for all morning.

I decide I better put them back on my desk,

But first I'm going to water the flowers.

I set the glasses back

down on the counter ,

Fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote.

Someone left it on the kitchen table.

I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV,

I'll be looking for the remote,

But I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table,

So I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs,

But first I'll water the flowers.

I pour some water in

the flowers,

But quite a bit of it spills on the floor.

So, I set the remote back on the table,

Get some towels and wipe up the spill.

Then, I head down the hall trying to

Remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day:

The car isn't washed,

The bills aren't paid,

There is a warm can of

Pepsi sitting on the counter,

The flowers don't have enough water,

There is still only 1 check in my checkbook,

I can't find the remote,

I can't find my glasses,

And I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today,

I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day,

And I'm really tired.

As you age you find yourself being the punch line to many jokes, many are true. However to me you can benefit from the aging process.  I have a friend who is in his 70's.  He is constantly reminding me that he is old.  While he may have advanced years, he is not Old.  He thinks young, stays active, is always learning something new, and he takes excellent care of himself and follows his doctor's orders most of the time.

As  you get older you may find yourself having a few aches or pains, some gray hair, and those phone books start using smaller print, but if you think young, and keep learning and doing, then age is just a state of mind.

GROWING OLD

By Diane Forrest

You're only as old as you feel, and 50 is the new 30. We have all heard these sayings, but I must say I agree. I recently celebrated a milestone birthday, and I still feel (and sometimes act) like a kid. I have been blessed with great genes from my family, and with beauty salons and skin care items, gray hair and wrinkles are not a problem yet! I believe that staying active is key for remaining young. When my father retired from his job he began planning a year before. He built an office at his home, and continues his routine of getting up every morning at 5:30 heading to his office, reading the paper and having his coffee. He believes that keeping his body in the motions that it's accustomed to will keep him in shape. His sister on the other hand stays up late, sleeps late and lounges around all day. I guess that works for her.

How are you handling the advancing years?

What works for you?

Let us know in the comment section below.

Friends – Old and New

By Diane Forrest

Several years ago when I was in Brownie Scouts we had a song that we would sing - it went like this:

Make new friends but keep the old,

One is Silver and the other Gold

We would sing it in rounds, like when you sing row, row, row, your boat...then the next group would start...and so on.  At the time I didn't understand the meaning of this song, but then again I was only about 10 years old.  As I have gotten a little bit older, I understand what the song means.

The old friends in your life know about your history, you have shared stories and experiences together, private jokes that no body else could understand.  They have been with you during good times and bad.  They are priceless and even more valuable than gold.

Making new friends is just as exciting.  You can have new adventures together, make new stories and try new things. And if you’re lucky, eventually they will turn into old friends.

Sometimes our lives lead us in directions that keep us away from our friends.  New jobs, expanding families, relocations can all play a part in helping to lose touch with those we care about.  Luckily, today's technology allows us to keep in touch with our friends.  Not only do we have computers, we also have cell phones that you can talk, text, and even see someone live.  Our computers allow us to email and participate in social media such as Facebook, where we can keep in touch by reading posts and looking at pictures.  You can also meet new people this way who share some of your interests.   I am a bit leery of meeting new people this way.  A long time friend of mine sent me a picture of a young girl around 15 or 16 years old.  He asked if he should become Facebook friends with her.  Since he is 69, I told him it might not be such a good idea.  He would probably end up in jail or something!

This week is National Old Friends New Friends week.  If there is an old friend out there that you have lost touch with, it is easy to reconnect with them, send them an email or try to locate their phone number.  Its also a time to meet someone new, maybe someone you see often while you are shopping, or even meeting a neighbor.   For more tips on how to celebrate this week check out this site: http://www.drjanyager.com/friendship/nationalnew-oldfriendsweek.htm

Grandchildren and Grandparents

How children perceive their Grandparents. HOW TRUE, and still so sweet.

1 She was in the bathroom, putting on her makeup, under the watchful eyes of her young granddaughter, as she'd done many times before. After she applied her lipstick and started to leave, the little one said, "But Grandma, you forgot to kiss the toilet paper good-bye!" I will probably never put lipstick on again without thinking about kissing the toilet paper good-bye....

2. My young grandson called the other day to wish me Happy Birthday. He asked me how old I was, and I told him, 62. My grandson was quiet for a moment, and then he asked, "Did you start at 1?"

3. After putting her grandchildren to bed, a grandmother changed into old slacks and a droopy blouse and proceeded to wash her hair. As she heard the children getting more and more rambunctious, her patience grew thin. Finally, she threw a towel around her head and stormed into their room, putting them back to bed with stern warnings. As she left the room, she heard the three-year-old say with a trembling voice, "Who was THAT?"

4. A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own childhood was like. "We used to skate outside on a pond. I had a swing made from a tire; it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries in the woods." The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this all in. At last she said, "I sure wish I'd gotten to know you sooner!"

5. My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, "Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?" I mentally polished my halo and I said, "No, how are we alike?'' "You're both old," he replied.

6. A little girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather's word processor. She told him she was writing a story. "What's it about?" he asked. "I don't know," she replied. "I can't read."

7. I didn't know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I decided to test her. I would point out something and ask what color it was. She would tell me and was always correct. It was fun for me, so I continued. At last, she headed for the door, saying, "Grandma, I think you should try to figure out some of these colors yourself!"

8. When my grandson Billy and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky insects. Still, a few fireflies followed us in... Noticing them before I did, Billy whispered, "It's no use Grandpa. Now the mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights."

9. When my grandson asked me how old I was, I teasingly replied, "I'm not sure." "Look in your underwear, Grandpa," he advised "Mine says I'm 4 to 6."

10. A second grader came home from school and said to her grandmother, "Grandma, guess what? We learned how to make babies today." The grandmother, more than a little surprised, tried to keep her cool. "That's interesting." she said. "How do you make babies?" "It's simple," replied the girl. "You just change 'y' to 'I and add 'es'."

11. Children's Logic: "Give me a sentence about a public servant," said a teacher. The small boy wrote: "The fireman came down the ladder pregnant." The teacher took the lad aside to correct him. "Don't you know what pregnant means?" she asked. "Sure," said the young boy confidently. 'It means carrying a child."

12. A grandfather was delivering his grandchildren to their home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the fire truck was a Dalmatian dog. The children started discussing the dog's duties. "They use him to keep crowds back," said one child. "No," said another. "He's just for good luck." A third child brought the argument to a close."They use the dogs," she said firmly, "to find the fire hydrants."

13. A 6-year-old was asked where his grandma lived. "Oh," he said, "she lives at the airport, and when we want her, we just go get her. Then, when we're done having her visit, we take her back to the airport."

14. Grandpa is the smartest man on earth! He teaches me good things, but I don't get to see him enough to get as smart as him!

15. My Grandparents are funny, when they bend over, you hear gas leaks and they blame their dog.