You know you’re getting old when you stoop to tie your shoes and wonder what else you can do while you’re down there. – George Burns
George: "Say 'Good Night,' Gracie." Gracie, dutifully: "Good Night, Gracie."
What does that mean?
This is another light-hearted quote, in honor of George Burns’ birthday. The quote talks about how you know you’re getting old. Coming from a gentleman who made it to 100, still plenty active (if a bit stiff), it seems sound advice.
While I’m not yet to that point, I am far enough along to find both humor and wisdom in the statement. While we won’t all make it to 100, we can still try to keep active in body and mind. And when you do start to get old and creaky, keep this quote in mind when you bend over for any reason. Tie your shoes, pull up your socks, straighten your slacks, scratch anything that itches down there, pick up loose change, or whatever else you might need to do.
Why is keeping active important?
George kept busy, active in mind and body. He did stand-up comedy since the days of Vaudeville, and continued to do it until the final year of his life. From the Wikipedia Biography article (click on his name after the quote, above) :
In 1988, he received the Kennedy Center Honors and had booked himself to play the London Palladium and Caesars Palace for his 100th birthday, even joking that “I can’t die, I’m booked“.
While injuries and maladies may make it harder, the research I have seen states quite clearly that our bodies require movement and our minds need stimulus. Keeping active isn’t just a good idea, it’s part of how we stay alive, healthy, and in good shape.
Where can I apply this in my life?
Always check with your doctor first, to make sure there aren’t any problems, as it is possible to injure yourself (or worse) if you have some condition that’s not quite right.
There are plenty of ways to stay mentally sharp. Playing games like chess or go have become a running joke. From the X-Men to just about any movie with a scene in Central Park, chess sets are often seen in the hands of older folks, busy keeping their minds sharp.
There are also plenty of solo paper games to help keep your mind on it’s toes. From Sudoku to KenKen to crossword puzzles, there are tons of them out there. There are also shape games, including jigsaw puzzles and shifting puzzles (like the ‘parking’ games) to help out.
For the body, there is everything from swimming and water exercising (for those who need low impact exercise) to walking, bicycling, and dancing. For the more advanced there is yoga for stretching, tai chi for balance, and weight lifting for strength. There are even triathlons of differing lengths, if you are looking for a real challenge.
Take a moment and think about all of your strengths and weaknesses, as well as your goals for your body and your mind. Are you trying to maintain what you have, improve some aspect you already have, or develop something new? Grab some paper and write down your top three goals for your body and three more for your mind.
Start with your mind. What can you do to attain those goals? Is it a solitary activity, or do you have friends who do these things? If you have to find people to help you do the activities, where can you look to find them? The internet is your friend, as are organizations catering to common interests.
For the physical activities, you might want to let your doctor know what you want to work on, and then see what they recommend for you to start with. Be sure to listen to your body and neither over-do it, nor slack too much, as (once again) the middle road is likely the best path for each of us.
Life is worth living, and it’s even better when you can keep your mind and body sharp. Time will win in the end, and at some point, things will start to run down. In the mean time, I plan to fight every week, to keep my mind and body as active as I can. Death will win in the end, but I plan on putting up one helluva a fight! How about you?
From: Twitter, @tonyrobbins
confirmed at : http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/g/georgeburn128432.html
Photo by Allan Warren
