Lessons for aging well

They call it The Golden Age but nobody tells you how hard it is to grow older. Wouldn’t it be great if getting older came with instructions?
Roger Rosenblatt, author of Rules for Aging, (originally published in 2000) listed some of his current rules for aging in a humourous column for The New York Times.
Get a dog … because dogs take more naps than you do and they listen to you intently. No creature on Earth will ever find you more fascinating than your dog does.
Everyone’s in pain. People you meet casually, those you’ve known all your life, everyone’s in pain. Be kind.
It’s not about you. Nobody is thinking about you. It might be a 0 sad thought but it’s also liberating. Remember the time you fell on your butt crossing the icy street? Or that dumb comment you made at supper last night? No one else is thinking about it! Others are thinking about … themselves. Just like you are. Author Robert Fulgham famously wrote: All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. The wisdom of the sandbox set is equally applicable for seniors:

• Share everything.
  • Play fair.
    • Don’t hit people.
      • Put things back where you found them.
        • Clean up your own mess.
          • Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
            • Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.
              • Wash your hands before you eat.
                • Flush.
                  • Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
                    • Live a balanced life—learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
                      • Take a nap every afternoon.
                        • When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together. Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation.

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