Winning Words 12/16/10
“You aren’t just the age you are. You are all the ages you have ever been.” (Kenneth Koch) There have been occasions lately when I’ve looked around and seen myself as the oldest person in the room. That’s not discouraging; I just smile and say to myself, “I’ve experienced every age of the people here. I know what it’s like to be them, but they don’t know what it’s like to be me.” ;-) Jack

FROM PRJS IN MICHIGAN: That's a pretty wild assumption....that you "know what it's like to be them." FROM JACK: Meaning...I know what it is to have been that age. For example, I remember what it was like (long ago) when I was your age.

FROM NL IN FLORIDA: AMEN TO THAT FROM JACK: It's nice to hear a voice from "the Amen Corner." Some churches would have a corner of the worship area where a group of members would gather. It was their job to shout, "AMEN," as the minister was preaching, in order to build up support for what he was saying.

FROM RI IN BOSTON: Old age is like a stuffed Rolodex (are they still used in this era of Info Tech) where you can access a vast collection of past experiences recorded in the mind. FROM JACK: Rolodex? Wow! Talk about the Dark Ages. I have lots of "memory" in my computer, but it doesn't match that which is in my mind. MORE FROM RI: Few can match what is in your mind. FROM JACK: Just for fun...Today try to pull out something from the depths of your mind...something that you haven't thought about for a long, long time.

FROM SF IN MICHIGAN: This is great!! FROM JACK: I remember you as the one who introduced me to "Kindle." I see that they are now priced at, $139. One of these days......

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Sometimes it nice to be the oldest. My older sister Valerie would probably dispute that remark because I remind her of that fact quite a bit. We still laugh about it though. We grow a lot from childhood to adult and "older adult" but I am still the girl I was back then...just with a little more mileage and wrinkles. FROM JACK: I could look in the mirror and say, "I've become my father," but he died before he reached my age. What I can do is look back and try to remember myself at his age in various stages of his life.

FROM YOOPER PO: Oh what fun! FROM JACK: Each age makes it's own fun. I haven't come to the point where I think that playing BINGO is fun, but it might come sooner than I think.

FROM EAGLE EYE IN MICHIGAN: I am glad you are you. I thought I was the only one who didn’t know what month it is….Your senior is showing…. FROM JACK: Weren't you ever taught not to make fun of the elderly? I would to talk to my proof-reader about that mistake, except that people would see me talking to myself.....another sign that might be interpreted as...aging.

FROM SH IN MICHIGAN: Yesterday I heard the exact same comment from two different people. In the afternoon talking with a 90 year old woman at Henry Ford Assisted Living, she told me she didn't choose to participate in crafts there because she has so many appointments with doctors, nurses, physical therapist and each appointment requires so much time getting ready, that she feels like she is living by the calendar. Last night a younger 58 year old woman who is busy with her kids and also kids she provides respite care to said
the exact same thing that she is living by the calendar. They are both in great spirits and I am wondering about ages and living by the calendar, is there some way to look at it all differently now before I get there?
FROM JACK: I have a watch that lists the date, as well as the time, hours, minutes and seconds. Every so often I have to change the battery. It's not the way with life, is it?

FROM MOLINER CF: Sammy Davis, Jr sang this song:

"I've Gotta Be Me"
Whether I'm right or whether I'm wrong
Whether I find a place in this world or never belong
I gotta be me, I've gotta be me
What else can I be but what I am

I want to live, not merely survive
And I won't give up this dream
Of life that keeps me alive
I gotta be me, I gotta be me
The dream that I see makes me what I am

That far-away prize, a world of success
Is waiting for me if I heed the call
I won't settle down, won't settle for less
As long as there's a chance that I can have it all

I'll go it alone, that's how it must be
I can't be right for somebody else
If I'm not right for me
I gotta be free, I've gotta be free
Daring to try, to do it or die
I've gotta be me

I'll go it alone, that's how it must be
I can't be right for somebody else
If I'm not right for me
I gotta be free, I just gotta be free
Daring to try, to do it or die
I gotta be me

FROM JO IN MICHIGAN: I tell my kids that all the time...I have already been their ages, but they have not yet been mine. FROM JACK: And we must not forget what it was, to be like at the age of our children.

FROM A & M IN MICHIGAN: We have the same experience. We are fortunate.

FROM MO IN ILLINOIS: A good thought to hold when you are the oldest. I'll have to remember that! We have understanding of quite a span of years!! A blessing, for the most part. FROM JACK: All the parts make for a blessing, even though some parts of "the road" can be bumpy and perilous at times.

FROM CS IN MICHIGAN: The age quote is very appropriate, since today is my birthday. I often feel older than anyone in the room. FROM JACK: I get that feeling once in a while, too, but I try not to dwell on it.

FROM CJL IN OHIO: Good point, Jack. That makes you a resource for any of them, in case they are so inclined. BTW: Do they look at you like you maybe understand where they are? Anyway, it's a good feeling to have. FROM JACK: Winning Words makes it seem that I'm not so far behind the times. Texting (which I don't do) puts me in another age. E-mail is sooooo "old." Most of the time we relate.

FROM DAZ IN COLORADO: I think I like some of the other ones (ages) better than this one, although I’ not sure I want to relive them. FROM JACK: Life is a progression with the end as a new beginning.