I share the following with all octogenarians. Author unknown. Life Begins at 80

I have good news for you. The first 80 years are the hardest. Once you reach 80, everyone wants to carry your bags and help you up the steps. If you forget your name and anybody else’s name or an appointment, or you’re your own telephone number, or promise to be three places at the same time, or can’t remember how many grandchildren you have, you need only explain that you are 80.

Being 80 is a lot better than being 70. At 70 people are mad at you for everything. At 80 you have the perfect excuse no matter what you do. If you act foolishly, it’s your second childhood. Everybody is looking for symptoms of softening of the brain.

Being 70 is no fun at all. At that age they expect you to retire to a house in Florida and complain about your arthritis (they used to call it Lumbago) and you ask everybody to stop mumbling because you can’t understand them. (Actually your hearing is about 50 percent gone).

If you survive until you are 80, everybody is surprised that you’re still alive. They treat you with respect just for having lived so long. Actually they seem surprised that you can walk and talk sensibly.

So please, folks, try to make it to 80. It’s the best time of life. People forgive you for anything. If you ask me, life begins at 80.

And….today dear Lord, I’m 80.

…and there’s much I haven’t done. I hope, dear Lord, you’ll let me live until I’m 81, but then if I haven’t finished all I want to do, would you let me stay awhile, until I’m 82? So many places I want to go, so very much to see, do you think you could manage to make it 83? The world is changing very fast, there is so much in store, I’d like it very much to live until I’m 84. And if by then I’m still alive, I’d like to stay ’till 85! More planes will be up in the air, so I’d really stick and see what happened to the world when I’m 86. I know dear Lord, it’s much to ask (and it must be nice in heaven), but I would really like to stay until I’m 87. I know by then I won’t be fast and sometimes will be late, but it would be so nice to be around at 88. I will have seen so many things and had a wonderful time, so, I’m sure that I’ll be willing to leave at 89…

Marya Silverthorn

Chesaw