The Big Black Book
I have a Big Black Book at home, of things that are deemed “important”.
And no, it’s not the “hoarding” book! That one is brown. This one is black and holds vital information like old notes from Mom advising me never to leave home without a dime for a phone call.
On rare occasions I look through The Book’s pages to delete what may have become unimportant.
This morning, in the Big Black Book, I re-discovered a list of Things to Do to Stay Young!
Now that list stays and is worth a periodic review.
And of course I must share it with you too so we can all cling to youth together and blog into the happily-ever-after.
*Note: Notes in italics are Dor’s current reactions.
HOW TO STAY YOUNG
~Author Unknown
- Throw out nonessential numbers like Age or Weight. You should let the doctor worry about those things. I do love this one. My doctor is getting old though so he has his own worries.
- Keep only cheerful friends. Grouches will pull you down. Ahh! And you should also stay cheerful so your friends will not perceive you as a grouch!
- Keep learning. Uh oh! I have just taken a vow to stop learning!
- Learn about the computer! (Are they kidding? That’s all I do!).
- Never let the brain be idle. Drat! I was looking forward to an idle brain with no learning challenges.
- Enjoy all the simple things. Is lounging in a deck chair simple enough?
- Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath. O.K., I do type “LOL” on blogger pals’ very funny blog posts, and my son makes me laugh so hard I cry (and have to change slacks).
- Love yourself. The only person with you for your entire life is you. (Me? As my own lifelong companion?).
- Surround yourself with what you love, family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge. Family and pets are good but would chocolate be all right? The doctor could take care of the weight!
- 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. I am in the preservation mode verging on unstable and heading toward unimproved so cherishing is a good idea.
- Don’t take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is. Give me a break! Guilt has been my ultimate destination since childhood!
- Tell the people you love that you love them at every opportunity. I tried that once but Bill began to question all the attention!
Do you have any tips that make sense to add to this list? I am not quite sure it will work on its own.
Maybe we can create a manual that would substitute for the Fountain of Youth and bury it somewhere to be found in 10,000 years.
We might even be around to verify its authenticity.
Virginia Views 
I don’t know how far it will go in keeping us young, but there’s some good advice there!
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Great list Dorann – your Big Black Book! Love the laugh often, long and loud ~
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Tons of wisdom there – great book.
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Don’t waste your money on anti aging creams. The only thing that prevents wrinkles is sun screen.
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Love this post Dora, and guess what, they all make sense. Can I add……Pamper yourself now and then. Such as Having your hair done, have your feet attended too, Spoil your self with some EXPENSIVE face cream to ease out those small ageing lines. Buy a new dress when feeling down. That works wonders. Don’t wait for someone to buy you a box of chocolates for your birthday………..Treat yourself before then. I could go on but I had better stop here.
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Guilt trips are the only ones I take. But, we really can’t afford them. Can we?
I’d add “Don’t worry.” (my side note would be: That is my life. When I have nothing to worry about, I worry about that.)
Love your list, Dora. Many good tips and a some laughs. 😉
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Yes – Worry is a good one! That’s on a par with Guilt. 🙂
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You have the key to the fountain Rita! Great additions to the list.
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Hmmm! And there I was – wasting money on anti aging creams!
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🙂 Off and running…..
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Laughing is my fave too Mary… it feels so good.
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I tend to believe everything I read, so even if I die “old”, I won’t know the difference. That doesn’t make sense does it? Not even to me. 🙂
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Laughing…….you saved the best for last!
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Could have been first. Maybe should be first AND last. I agree. 🙂
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One of my Personal Principles is “Say Yes.” That’s hard to do sometimes as we age….we can come up with excuses not to get in that kayak (or jump that trampoline), but I think saying yes to these experiences keeps us having fun.
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Hey Barbara, this comment did not go in spam, but if anything else has I will let you know. I like your “Yes” policy for keeping young, although bouncing around on a trampoline may not be the “Yes” thing I would pick. Maybe not a kayak either. Could you think of something like a slider rocker maybe for the porch?
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NO!!! One of these days we are going to do that trampoline thing and laugh like hyenas. Young hyenas!!
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You go first…….. I’ll watch. I’m thinkin’ you could be my “canary in the coal mine.”
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Good list and most of it is sensible. The guilt thing though is hard to stop. I got on that bus a while back thinking it was the Vegas bus…..
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Hmmmm. Maybe we will meet up there (in Vegas) and be able to get off the bus.
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Find the good in everything and be grateful no matter what. (Sometimes a challenge, but worth going for!)
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🙂 A good addition Eliza. Thank you!
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I love this, Dor! I especially love the last one as we never know when the last time we speak with someone will be.
I would add smile at strangers, you could be the brightest light in their life.
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Oh, I do love that one Jill! Smiling at strangers. That is definitely a must. 🙂
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Cheep!
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I wish…
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Never let the brain be idle? That’s not hard: I am a woman!
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I hope that means you are already brilliant!
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🙂
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Great advice–except for the computer one. 🙂 Your fun and insightful comments really added to the list.
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🙂 The main thing is to avoid mirrors. I forgot to put that one in. 🙂
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That’s another good one. 🙂
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Maybe not brilliant, but certainly busy, especially when I should be sleeping!
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I absolutely love this list and totally agree with it. And yes, chocolate is absolutely ok :). With it, you and I will stay young forever my friend!
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Yup… chocolate may be the magic elixir for us after all! Dreams do come true. 🙂
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Whew! I want you to be the first to know. This weekend I endured a battery of tests to recertify in my field. I PASSED! With that, I’ll just add another to the list — Age is not a factor. Just finished and I’m still decompressing.
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Congratulations Georgette! I have no doubt you were superb through that battery of tests. And thanks for the new addition to the How to Stay Young list – Age is Not a Factor! 🙂
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What a great list, Dor! And I loved your practical comments. Let’s be young at heart!
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Lounging in the deck chair IS enough. When it’s Indian Summer, that is…
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Maybe that’s the secret – staying young at heart!
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I had to chuckle at the last one, too. Not sure I want to be here in 10,000 years. Some anthropologist will dig up my bones and deem me a dinosaur.
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Good one, Dor! I especially like the first one to ‘throw out nonessential numbers like age or weight.’ Cause ya know, I would like to throw out my weight or maybe just throw my weight around. 😀
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For sure Cindy, I would love to throw my weight out, along with some other annoying things.
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And me, an unknown species!
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