The "On Being A Golden Girl!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  And...a Belated Happy Birthday to Betty White!  By now you must have heard that comedian Betty White has died, a few days from reaching her 100 birthday which would have been  January 17.  You think she did that on purpose just so more people would have remembered her birthday?  She was one funny lady!  

Betty as I remember her!

I believe I enjoyed her most when she played Rose Nylund on the long-running sitcom "The Golden Girls."  She published her memoir "If You Ask Me (And Of Course You  Won't)" 11 years ago at the age of 89.  She loved sharing both her humor and gratitude which to her went hand in hand.  She also believed that "Old age isn't for sissies...but if you are still functioning and not in pain, gratitude should be the name of the game."  Seems to be the same reasoning and thoughts that I have had for the past few years.  I still have a few years to go before I will catch Betty's (almost) 100 years of life, but in order to reach her magic number, I will need to add a few more years of humor to my repertoire.  Betty preserved her positive attitude over the course of a career that numbered more than 80 years.  Gratitude and humor went hand in hand.  She claimed that her mother always used to say, "The older you get, the better you get...unless you're a banana."  Sound like something she would have said?  Well, I have found some quotes that have been said were some of Betty's favorites.  You just knew I am going to share them with you as a reminder as to how funny, but yet caring Betty was in her 99+ years of life.  Enjoy!

ON AGING:

*You don't fall off the planet once you pass a given age.  You don't lose any of your sense of humor.  You don't lose any of your zest for life.

*Don't try to be young.  Just open your mind.  Stay nitrated in stuff.

*Kindness and consideration of somebody besides yourself: I think that keeps you feeling young.

*You know people who are already saying, "I'm going to be 30...oh, what am I going to do?" Well, use that decade! Use them al!

ON SUCCESS:

*Mind your own business, take care of your affairs, and don't worry about other people so much.

*I think everybody needs a passion.  Whether it's one passion or a hundred, that's what keeps life interesting.

*You don't luck into integrity.  You work at it.

*Buckle down and work positively as much as you can.  Just think, "All right, there's nothing I can do about that right now.  But I can do my best in my little circle."  So if you do that, maybe you'll do your best.

ON FRIENDSHIP:

*Friendship takes time and energy if it's going to work.  You can luck into something great, but it doesn't last if you don't give it proper appreciation. Friendship can be so comfortable, but nurture it - don't take it for granted.

*I just make it my business to get along with people so I can have fun.  It's that simple.

ON POSITIVITY:

*Laughter keeps everyone feeling wonderful.

*It's your outlook on life that counts.  If you...don't take yourself too seriously, pretty soon you can find the humor in our everyday lives.  And sometimes it can be a lifesaver.

*We do have a tendency to complain rather than celebrating who we are...It's better to appreciate what's happening.

*There's no formula.  Keep busy with your work and your life.  Replay the good times.  Be grateful for the years you had.

Sound like something that Betty might have chosen for favorite thoughts on life?  Now, how about you!  Begin to practice your own thoughts on life and its many parts and maybe, just maybe, you'll be as warm and human as Betty was in her lifetime!  You know...you could also be ordinary as I am!  Seems to work for me.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.