Matt Monro Forum

Old age, I decided, is a gift. I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometimes despair over my body, the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging bottom. And often I am shocked by that old person that lives in my mirror (who looks like my mother!), but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life or my loving family for less grey hair or a flatter tummy. As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra biscuit, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so chic on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging. Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4a.m. and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60's & 70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love. I will. I will walk along the beach in a swimsuit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite
The pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things. Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning grey, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver. As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong. (Impossible)

I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. Or trying to count the teeth left in my mouth And I shall eat dessert every single day if I feel like it – so there

May our friendship never come apart, especially when it’s straight from the heart! May you always have a rainbow of smiles on your face and in your heart forever and ever – Friends forever.

That rings lots and lots of bells for me !!!

And for us too Marian, but never mind,... for the Joan Collins and Helen Mirrens, and One or Two more, it's about the help of the surgeons knife, face lifts, botox, liposuction, and the biggest help of all... MONEY, but they lose the battle in the end. There's this thing that gets in the way -- The Ageing Process.

Hi Michele
Your dissertation on growing old 'disgracefully'
put me in mind of Jenny Joseph's marvellously
rebellious poem, I SHALL WEAR PURPLE. If you
haven't already read it you can find it on Wikipedia.
A priest (appropriately) prompted my thought of
the day. He appeared on BBC Breakfast to discuss
his book, Finding Happiness. Matt's memorable version
of Look for Small Pleasures more or less sums it up.
I must say that retirement has been a source of happiness
for me, exemplified, I hope, by the following lines:

RETIREMENT

No longer the clock's devoted slave;
coffers full in time's bank
so why save?
Crossed the finish line in the rat race,
off the habit now to inject pace.

No deadlines looming, short-fuse phone,
treadmill meetings coming amiss;
instead time-spent-on-hobbies fun,
holidays stretching to the horizon,
feet up fulfilment - bliss!

Keith Good

When I am an old woman,
I shall wear purple - -
With a red hat which doesn't go,
and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension
on brandy and summer gloves and satin sandles,
And say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
and gobble up samples in shops
and press alarm bells
and run with my stick along public railings,
and make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
and pick flowers in other people's gardens
and learn to spit!
You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
and eat three pounds of sausages at ago,
or only bread and pickles for a week,
and hoard pens and pencils
and beermats and things in boxes.
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry,
and pay our rent
and not swear in the street,
and set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner
and read the papers.
But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me
are not too shocked and surprised
when suddenly I am old,
And start to wear purple!


--Jenny Joseph

If life begins at 40, at 61 you're 21 again

But......................you just don't feel 21 anymore

Sent by a friend from the U.S.

Some of the artists of the 60's are revising their hits with new lyrics to accommodate aging baby boomers.
They include:

Bobby Darin ---
Splish, Splash, I Was Havin' a Flash.

Herman's Hermits ---
Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Walker .

Ringo Starr ---
I Get By With a Little Help From Depends.

The Bee Gees -- -
How Can You Mend a Broken Hip.

Roberta Flack---
The First Time Ever I Forgot Your Face.

Johnny Nash ---
I Can't See Clearly Now.

Paul Simon---
Fifty Ways to Lose Your Liver

The Commodores ---
Once, Twice, Three Times to the Bathroom.

Marvin Gaye ---
Heard It Through the Grape Nuts.

Procol Harem---
A Whiter Shade of Hair.

Leo Sayer ---
You Make Me Feel Like Napping.

The Temptations ---
Papa's Got a Kidney Stone.

Abba---
Denture Queen.

Tony Orlando ---
Knock 3 Times On The Ceiling If You Hear Me Fall.

Helen Reddy --- I Am Woman, Hear Me Snore.
Leslie Gore--- It's My Procedure, and I'll Cry If I Want To.

And Last but NOT least


Willie Nelson --- On the Commode Again


Marian

I think they stink ...............................................................only kidding, I really like them.

The History of 'APRONS'

I don't think our kids know what an apron is.

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that "old-time apron" that served so many purposes.

REMEMBER:

Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool.

Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.

They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.

I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron--except love.

Only to those whose level of maturity qualifies them to relate to it...

1977: Long hair
2007 : Longing for hair

1977: KEG
2007: EKG


1977: Acid rock
2007 : Acid reflux


1977: Moving to California because it's cool
2007 : Moving to Arizona because it's warm


1977: Trying to look like Marlon Brando or
Liz Taylor
2007: Trying NOT to look like Marlon Brando or
Liz Taylor


1977: Seeds and stems
2007 : Roughage


1977: Hoping for a BMW
2007: Hoping for a BM



1977: Going to a new, hip joint
2007 : Receiving a new hip joint


1977 : Rolling Stones
2007: Kidney Stones



1977: Screw the system
2007: Upgrade the system



1977 : Disco
2007: Costco


1977: Parents begging you to get your hair cut
2007: Children begging you to get their heads
shaved



1977: Passing the drivers' test
2007: Passing the vision test



1977 : Whatever
2007 : Depends


Just in case you weren't feeling too old today, this
will certainly change things. Each year the staff at
Beloit College in Wisconsin puts together a list to
try to give the faculty a sense of the mindset of this year's incoming freshmen. Here's this year's list:
The people who are starting college this fall across
the nation were born in 1989.


They are too young to remember the space
shuttle blowing up.


Their lifetime has always included AIDS.


Bottle caps have always been screw off and plastic.


The CD was introduced the year they were born.



They have always had an answering! machine



They have always had cable.



They cannot fathom not having a remote control.


Jay Leno has always been on the Tonight Show.


Popcorn has always been cooked in the microwave.


They never took a swim and thought about Jaws.


They can't imagine what hard contact lenses are.


They don't know who Mork was or where he was from.


They never heard: 'Where's the Beef?', 'I'd walk
a mile for a Camel', or 'de plane, Boss, de plane.'


They do not care who shot J. R. and have no idea who J. R. even is.


McDonald's never came in Styrofoam containers.


They don't have a clue how to use a typewriter.


Do you feel old yet?
So have a nice day!!!!! It is good to have friends who know about these things!!!!

I felt old before--I feel positively ancient now !!!!!

michele, i just read your letter on being old...even though written in Oct. But then I haven't been on the forum very long. Your words, so decriptive, and with meaning. And yes, experiences in life, do have a way of such a set back, makes you immediately feel older.. especially the loves you see suffer. I lost two husbands, I know. But you have such strength, and with all you have done keeping your Dad "alive" this makes your purpose in life so rewarding, and you are such an inspiration , I thankyou so much.

I now realise this was Michele's post at the start of this thread, but I think it is good enough to warrant a repeat.
To all my forum friends..

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 &70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set.

They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.



I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face.

So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.


As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore.
I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever,
but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day(if I feel like it).

MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART

That was just amazing, Marian--very thought provoking, and moving too.