Never Too Old To Play!

5.02.2008 by Savvy Suzy

Photos by beetlwife at Flickr.com

When I’m out here searching the net for savvy links, I usually have no idea where they’re going to come from. I like to run into them…

serendipitously (adverb) come upon or found by accident; fortuitous: serendipitous scientific discoveries. (Dictionary.com)

That is a lot of fun for me to find new things this way. I guess that’s where my motto “expect the unexpected” came from.

Actually, I came upon it unexpectedly. No pun intended. One of my friends from SU, ‘FM’, used that comment to describe my site there, the first time our paths crossed. (His wife had been ill, but was in recuperation and he had lots of joy!) I had, unintentionally, given him the acronym that stuck, “FM” (It reminded me of a radio station that was tuned to “Joy”!) stands for “FaithMinded”. There was that bit of…

synchonicity (noun) Coincidence of events that seem to be meaningfully related, conceived in Jungian theory as an explanatory principle on the same order as causality. (Dictionary.com)

…that was in play at the time. I love when that happens!

So I came upon this posting in the same manner…

happenstance (noun) an event that might have been arranged although it was really accidental [syn: coincidence] (Dictionary.com)

It’s a lovely piece and it expresses how I feel about getting older (I agree with most, but say maybe a small few that I have a quandry with — specifically, the “get angry at God” one. I’ve been angry at God before, and that’s something that I don’t want to do anymore, because who am I to be angry at HIM. He’s my Maker!) and how in spite of the problems and issues that we have to deal with — Life is still a beautiful gift. So I want to play with this purpose in mind regardless of what age I am:

By Regina Brett The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I’ve ever written. My odometer rolls over to 50 this week, so here’s an update:

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: “In five years, will this matter?”
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34 God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
35. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats th e alternative — dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
41. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46 No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.