Retiring with grace and class……
May 99 S’field Life-long Learning
Bummy Basketti
Rainy and wet… thought I’d talk about swimming. Years of lessons.. hated them all.. then.. girl at town creek. Lifeguard! Final test: three phases.. shallow water carry, save a fighting victim. … five laps of pool with clothes on… gradually took them off Jumped out of pool wearing only my skivvies. Pike Press You are in, or about to enter, or will some day enter, this thing called Your Golden Years. It’s summertime.. no time for heavy, meaningful speeches.. Even President Clinton is on vacation. I want to give you only one real piece of advice… If you want to stay afloat, you’ve got to strip down to the essentials… drop the things that hold you back from truly enjoying what God has given you..
As a result… My Ten Commandments For Aging with Style.
I can’t feature Charlton Heston coming down the mountain in his robe holding these. Think instead of Mel Gibson in cutoff jeans and holding beautifully wrapped present with your name on it. (And those of you who are still savoring the mental image of me standing beside the Pittsfield pool in wet skivvies… stop it!… You’ll miss the best part of my speech.
COMMANDMENT NUMBER ONE! Just when you think you’ve given all you have to give, Thou shalt Give More! Self-help books all say: Take care of yourself.. Nuture your inner child. Wrong! I teach a generation of kids who need you very badly. -----Kidnap your grandkids from school and go for a picnic. So what if you’re arrested. It’ll be a moment they’ll cherish forever. We often kidnap kids at camp.. 3 in the morning. You want to get depressed? Think about yourself. Want to feel great? Get involved with others. Albert Sweitzer… The only ones among you who will be truly happy in life are those who’ve sought and found out how to serve others. Just when you think you’ve given all you can give, Thou Shalt Give More!
COMMANDMENT #2 Thou shalt stop griping… Whoever said.. “Get it off your chest…” …… It brings you down and makes you a real pain to the rest of us. Charlie Rose… Johnstone.. nation’s leading architect as age 90. The hottest place in hell is reserved for gripers and complainers. “If life were 100 times longer, there would still be no excuse for getting bored.”
COMMANDMENT #3: Thou Shalt Break The Dress Code…. (Not your employers, but your own personal…) Me.. no tie to church one day………. Jim Kern…… Mrs. Brown My Dad.. banker… bald… .Christmas tree on his head. This Saturday.. dress as a clown and drop his pants in front of hundreds of people.
Clothing does affect how you feel. How can you wear the same things week after week and expect to feel any different? My socks are killing me. Hot at school tomorrow. .. I’m tempted to take them off. Little lady in our Arenzville retirement home.. uses a cane.. always topped with the most gorgeous, fresh flower. The Little lady who goes up and down Morton..rouge, hat, etc? (She’s having more fun getting dressed than we are.) Thou Shalt Break Your Dress Code….
COMMANDMENT # 4: Thou Shalt be an Encourager! Marie….. salt and pepper shakers Develop friends who encourage you. Me… play with 120 kids… play for 2800 people… only seven weeks to get it done. I must surround myself with people who tell me how we CAN do it.
COMMANDMENT #5: Thou Shalt not Take Yourself Too Seriously…If you’ll look around, you’ll notice no one else is. Me: Chillocothe… Roger Ebert
COMMANDMENT # 6: Thou shalt turn your worry into prayer. New Book.. Don’t Sweat the Small stuff .. and It’s All Small Stuff. “When you die, your In Box won’t be empty.” You will NEVER get it all done. Billy Graham.. two ladies. And if you can’t stop, then make yourself a deal… for every minute worry: 1 min prayer. (If you’re an atheist, go hire a nice Baptist friend to pray for you. What’s it gonna hurt?) Miracle in Nichol’s Park.. Daniel. Zebco 205?
Corrie Ten Boom; Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.
Last Day of school last year. Travis.. drug trouble.. meeting with superintendent.. Dylan came in.. I want to talk about Travis.. I think we should pray for him. Tears in supt’s eyes. Turn your worry into prayer.
COMMANDMENT # 7: Thou Shalt Lighten up and live a little! Beardstown ladies…Disney…. Sydney Australia. Dr. Prabahker… physical
COMMANDMENT # 8: Thou Shalt Cause a little trouble and get Rowdy.
Pop Van Pelt… would go out into the back yard about ten o’clock at night and shoot off his shotgun. Town cop would go running down there. “Town’s too derned quiet.”
Good friend of mine in one of Jacksonville’s largest churches.. Would always attend the early service and sit up front. Shout “Amen!” Preacher: Could you restrain yourself a little? Friend: No. I’m too old to restrain myself.
COMMANDMENT # 9: THOU SHALT TAKE CHARGE OF THINE OWN MOODS. And not let the world do it for you. My great-grandmother’s diary… we found…Typical Day.. wash floors, etc. Every day: “I expect this to be a good day.”
Mom… Alcatraz
COMMANDMENT #9 ½ : THOU SHALT EAT MORE ICE CREAM. You’ve earned it……..
COMMANDMENT 9.75 : THOU SHALT SPOIL THY ONLY BEGOTTEN GRANDCHILDREN. This is your job. It’s your God-given duty. ---Kids wouldn’t play at my house because of my dad. He’d whip you whether you belonged there or not! ….. Now.. he’ll drive any distance, sit through any concert, endure any JHS football score, just to watch a grandson. ---Parents are not supposed to have fun raising kids.. you are! ---I just returned from Alaska.. I was talking to our room steward.. both looking at a glacier..I was excited, he was tired. That’s because I was on vacation but he was doing his job. It was just like having grandkids. It’s your job to enjoy the glaciers.
COMMANDMENT # 10 Thou Shalt Ask Yourself, “Who Am I Trying to Please?”
Hiney the Mule Please yourself, please your family, please God above all, but take stock… Devote your life to the things that are most important.
Lighten up! Shake it off! Cause some trouble! And jump out of the pool wearing only your skivvies! And God Bless You!
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