Aging Well July 14

Remember when Art Linkletter on his daily TV show would interview kids and they would say the “darndest things". Kids still do, well at least one still does, albeit not as young. While my wife and I were setting around the kitchen table my daughter at the ripe old age of 19 asked if we ever felt we were getting old. After we laughed, I answered, “How about every day!”

She was thinking about the sign she saw at the grocery store identifying the birth date after which one could buy alcohol and realized in a year and a half she would be 21: the age of independence, responsibility and adulthood; no longer poppa’s child and soooo old.

There are always events that remind us we are getting older whether it is the store sign, your children’s first day at school, their first swim lessons (and the first time you realized they can swim faster than you) or when they graduate from high school and then land their first job. (But as it has been said, you aren’t really old until your kids are on Medicare.) So “old” is all a matter of perspective and unavoidable. At every age whether we are 19 or 91 we experience the blessings and accept the burdens; discover the hidden treasures and the fool’s gold. And the encouragement I use to give my kids when sending them off to school is probably good for any age: “give it your best”.

“If youth but knew; If age but could.” French painter Henri Estienne II

The Center will be hosting its monthly breakfast this Saturday before the Fort Dalles Pro Rodeo Parade. The breakfast is starting at 7:30 a half hour earlier so everyone can enjoy a nice delicious breakfast (and meet the rodeo royalty) and still have time to watch the parade. It will be a busy morning so why don't you let someone else do the cooking. The breakfast is sponsored by Patti Blagg the Center's Friday afternoon volunteer receptionist and also a promotional products consultant who can find the right item to promote any business.

Tonight Boyd Jacobsen has lined up the Hardshell Harmony to play again because you can never get too much of a good thing. Everyone is welcome whether friend or foe, young or old, blue or green. It doesn't matter as long you love good music and the high energy sounds of bluegrass. Admission is free but donations are gladly accepted.

A big thanks to all the folks who have responded to the Center's request for donations to help support the expansion project. Every dollar will help make the dream come true. You can learn the latest news about the expansion and the activities for this fall at the Center's Annual Membership Meeting on Tuesday, July 21st at 1:30 pm. We have just sent out the meeting notices to current members and reminders to those who may have forgotten to renew their membership. It is never too late to join.

Eight folks correctly identified the Shadow as the answer for last week's question including Jim Heitkemper who also identified Lamont Cranston as the Shadow's alter ego. But the first correct answer was from Ron Sutherland. And this week’s question (and the last chance to win a free breakfast) is, "What was the name of the CBS show hosted by Art Linkletter that featured the segment "Kids Say the Darndest Things"? Email your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com.

That’s it and I’m just a little older. Until we meet again, whether we are young or old or hot or cold “to everything there is a season”.

The best thing about getting old is that all those things you couldn't have when you were young you no longer want. ~L.S. McCandless

And as an added bonus here are some highlights of "Kids Say the Darndest Things"