How to Stay Young

• Try everything twice. On Madam's (of Whelan's and Madam) tombstone she wanted this epitaph: "Tried everything twice...loved it both times!"
• Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down (keep this in mind if you are one of those grouches).
• Keep learning. Learn more about computers, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain get idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's!
• Enjoy the simple things. Ice cream, good movies, chocolate, more ice cream, more chocolate...
• Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath. And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and lots of time with that person.
• The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with you your entire life is you. Lost time can never be found. LIVE while you are alive.
• Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
• 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.
• Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county, or a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.
• Tell the people you love that you love them at every opportunity. I love you, my special friend.
• Forgive now those who made you cry. You might not get a second time.
• Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.