Playing catch-up

Hello everyone!
It's amazing how much things can change in just a matter of days, not to mention two weeks! I was looking at my last blog thinking how ridiculous it seems in hindsight. Who would've guessed that rivers all over Iowa would get as high as they did, flooding major cities and small towns all over the state. The pictures are gut wrenching and a lot of you continue to ask how you can help. Check out the flood resource center on our homepage, or visit these sites:

www.unitedwaydm.org

www.desmoines-redcross.org

Michael and I both felt like we'd been through the wringer by the middle of last week, and had planned on recovering and getting organized over the weekend. That didn't really happen. I'm blaming Sonya and her husband Steve. We went out with them Friday night and Saturday night, so our recovery was a bit more intensive and cleaning and organizing kind of got thrown out the window. I did get a lot of random paperwork sorted and thrown away and Michael stained our back deck, but the to-do list remains long. Another reason for that is a long bike ride Sunday afternoon. Thanks to our friends Chad and Kim, we dragged our bikes out of the basement for the first time. Chad is doing RAGBRAI and thinks Michael should join his team. When this came up Saturday night, it sounded like a great idea. If Michael's butt and legs feel anything like mine do today, he might be rethinking that week long trek across the state, especially since it's less than a month away. I'll keep you posted.

Sunday night is usually reserved for making dinner and watching a movie, and last night we watched "The Bucket List" with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. I loved it. It makes you think a lot about how you're living your life and how you want to be living your life. Plus, I love both Freeman and Nicholson.

Along those lines, America lost a great comic yesterday. Do you know anyone who didn't laugh out loud at George Carlin's routines? He was constantly pushing the boundaries and usually offending someone, somewhere but he was funny and pretty insightful too. I get a lot of forwards in my inbox everyday and a lot of them get deleted, but his one I've kept. I have no idea if Carlin really said these this, but it's good stuff. Enjoy!

George Carlin's Views on Aging:
Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions. 'How old are you?' 'I'm four and a half!' You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five!
That's the key You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead. 'How old are you?' 'I'm gonna be 16!' You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16!
And then the greatest day of your life ! You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!
But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?
You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away.
Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone. But wait!!!
You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would! So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.
You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!
You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there.
Into the 90s, you start going backwards; 'I Was JUST 92.'
Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. 'I'm 100 and a half!' May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!
HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay them.
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.' And the devil's name is Alzheimers.
4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love , whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, what ever. Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.
10. Tell the people you love that you love them , at every opportunity.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER :Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. And if you don't send this to at least 8 people - who cares? But do share this with someone. We all need to live life to its fullest each day!!