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.   YESSSS!!!

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!!        



           HOW TO STAY YOUNG            

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes  age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is  why you pay them.

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

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts,  gardening, 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,  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, even to the  next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

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

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the  number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath  away.