07.20.07
just for fun: George Carlin’s Views on Aging
posted by T Ching | 5 comments
(with added comments by T Ching in parentheses and italicized)
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 going to be 16!” You could be 13, but hey, you’re going to 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 80’s 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 90’s, you start going backwards; “I Was JUST 92.”
Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100 (you’ve probably been drinking a lot of tea throughout your life), 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 Al Zheimer’s.
4. Enjoy the simple things. (like tea practice)
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath. (then drink some more tea)
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 (your favorite teapots and accessories), music, plants, and 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. (and always drink a lot of tea and practice tea culture).
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. (share tea with them)
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
July 20th, 2007 at 10:32 am
You just couldn’t resist, could you Michelle? “Way to Go” you did a great job blending photos & comments with the text. Thanks it’s a “keeper”. By the way, I’m heading towards the last of that age group very fast now. But I feel great, because I DRINK TEA!! and I’m a member of T Ching!!…PJF
July 20th, 2007 at 7:37 pm
My best friend was 93 when she died. Old enough to be my grandma but like a sister and a mentor. She was the ‘youngest’ and wisest person I knew. She said she liked age 28 and decided to stop there. And she loved tea..back before I ever got involved in specialty tea. Wanna hear something amazing??? One of the things she wanted me to have was her collection of beautiful china teacups and the shelf they were on. It was almost as if she were saying “this is the way to go….” She was almost always right.
July 20th, 2007 at 8:50 pm
Well, well, well! The king of the “eff-word” has “grown up.” I’m between Reached and Made, myself. Thanks for the laughs, and the good parenthetical advice. Has anyone invited George over for tea?
July 21st, 2007 at 11:11 am
Hey Regena, I’m getting into the “Hit” and “Just” stage right now. I think we should invite George to a special T Ching Group gathering, and have him and Norwood as guest speakers. Now that would be interesting to say the least. I love “Team’s” comments. There is so much life experience and knowledge. That we, the older generation, want to reach back and give. If only it would be accepted in this dysfunctional World today…PJF
July 21st, 2007 at 12:41 pm
I agree with Team and Paul. I think we are the only culture that doesn’t revere or respect their older, more experienced and wiser citizens. It’s a lot like most people in this country drink tea. They don’t want to have to take the time to learn from the tea and the practice of tea. They don’t want to really stop and pay attention to what is on the inside, what tea and tea practice really has to offer on a deeper level. Just give them a plastic bottle filled with cold tea that’s been sitting around for a while and they will drink it on autopilot while performing a myriad of other tasks simultaneously.