What will a smile, an act of kindness, and a bit of humor get you?
by Irwin
(Lakeland, FL)
Post for September 11, 2012
I am constantly thinking about what I am going to write as a blog post now that I sort of committed myself (hmmmmm - now there is a dangerous statement- committed myself) to writing a post every week. No, I am not being committed although there are times that I think I should be. But I digress.
I have been trying to find my writing voice this past year or so and my guess is that those of you who have taken the time to read some of my blog posts, will probably agree – what is he writing about? At times I am all over the board.
Sometimes it is funny, sometimes sad, other times I am way out in left field. But the fact of the matter is that I write because it helps me feel sane (not that I am not, although some might tend to disagree with that statement as well).
While I enjoy reading all types of literature whether the material be informative articles on one’s health, a good murder mystery, a bunch of jokes, or whatever, the thing I enjoy reading the most is something that will bring a smile to my face. In today’s mixed up world – there is too much sadness and misery and hence the reason I try to focus on items that will make me smile. Hopefully if they make me smile, chances are they will make others reading the article to smile as well.
For instance, there are times I hear people our age complain about the number of times they have to get up during the night just to go to the bathroom. Big deal!
As we progress into old age, my main concern when I go to bed at night is whether or not I will be fortunate enough to be one of the lucky ones that will awaken in the morning. As we age, we all tend to have and experience various hopes and dreams.
As I was sitting on the sofa last evening, I hoped I would stay awake long enough to see the ending of the show we were watching. But I didn’t. And what is it with us older folks when we have that discussion – usually over breakfast of all places – about whether or not we are going to have a good bowel movement today. What’s that all about? Fess up – I am sure one of you out there has had that conversation.
Or why is it we are constantly looking for our glasses. At times I thought about getting one of those chains that connect to the glasses so that they would always be hanging around my neck and that all I would have to do is remember to look down when I say – “where are my glasses?”
Another thing that comes with old age is loss of memory. Does your wife tend to say to you, should you decide to take the car in for service and not invite her along because you know she doesn’t really want to sit in the lounge reading car mechanic books and drinking coffee, “Are you sure you can find the garage and find your way back home?” Don’t you just want to say – honey – I am getting old but I am not senile – yet!
But that is all part of the aging process. The older I get, the more I look forward to a good laugh or two. Just the other day, as my wife and I were entering the doctor’s office, I happened to see another elderly couple heading towards us. Since the woman was way ahead of her husband, I decided to stand there and wait for her so that I could hold the door open for her. Once she was inside, I decided to stick around and hold it open for her husband as well. Now both of them appeared to be about ten years older than we were.
Once inside and settled, the gentleman came over to me and with a smile on his face said to me, you weren’t holding the door for me because you thought I was an old geezer, were you? I said no, since I had it open, I thought I would just stand there and hold it for you as well. Well, after accepting my kindness, the gentleman returned to seat.
All of a sudden I thought of a great comeback line and so I walked over to them and said – “You see, I was brought up to always hold the door for a beautiful woman and with that being said, his wife smiled and nodded at me. The gentleman then looked at me and said: “what about me?” To which I replied, well you were sort of the extra baggage she was carrying and so I thought I had best keep the door open for you as well. Long story short, we all busted up laughing and smiling at each other.
That small gesture of kindness followed by something humorous seemed to just make our day.
Bottom line is this – just because we are old doesn’t mean we have to be grumpy (remember the movies Grumpy Old Men and Grumpier Old Men with Jack Lemon and Walter Matthau – not to mention Ann-Margaret and Sophia Loren).
While there may be a lot of old people out there in the world today who are unhappy and feeling like they have no hope left in this world, I am here to tell you that changing one’s tune to that of a positive attitude with more smiling and laughing really goes a long way in making for a happier day. I know because I used to be one of those grumpier old men. But now I tend to look for the brighter side of everything and try my best not to sweat the small stuff. I know that I don’t get as rattled as I used to no matter how big the problem that might tend to crop up.
Let me end this week’s post with a quote from Groucho Marx:
"Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it. "
- Groucho Marx
Enjoy your day and make the best of it! What have you got to lose?
