LIFE

AFTER A WHILE

Veronica A. Shoffstall

After a while, you learn the subtle difference
Between holding a hand and chaining a soul
And you learn that love doesn’t mean leaning
And company doesn’t mean security,
And you begin to learn that kisses aren’t contracts
And presents aren’t promises,
And you begin to accept your defeats
With your head up and your eyes open,
With the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child,
And learn to build all your roads on today
Because tomorrow’s ground is too uncertain for plans,
And futures have a way of falling down in midflight.
And after a while, you learn
That even sunshine burns if you get too much.
So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul,
Instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.
And you learn that you really can endure….
That you really are strong
And you really do have worth
And you learn and learn….
With every goodbye, you learn.

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 ten 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 36 and a half
.....you're four and a half going on 5.
You get into your teens; now they can't hold you back.
You jump to the next number. "How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16."
You could be 12, but you're gonna be 16. Eventually.

Then the great day of your life; you become 21. Even the words sound like
a ceremony. You BECOME 21....Yes!!

Then you turn 30. What happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk.
He TURNED; we had to throw him out. What's wrong?
What changed? You BECOME 21; you TURN 30.

Then you're PUSHING 40....stay over there.
You REACH 50.
You BECOME 21; you TURN 30; You're PUSHING 40; you REACH 50;
then you MAKE IT to 60.
By then you've built up so much speed, you HIT 70.

After that, it's a day by day thing. You HIT Wednesday...
You get into your 80's; you HIT lunch, you HIT 4:30.
My Grandmother won't even buy green bananas.
"Well, it's an investment, you know, and maybe abad one."
And it doesn't end there....
Into the 90's, 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."
HAPPY AGING!!!

Wisdom From Senior Citizens

1. I started with nothing. I still have most of it.

2. When did my wild oats turn to prunes and all bran?

3. I finally got my head together, now my body is falling apart.

4. Funny, I don't remember being absent minded.

5. All reports are in. Life is now officially unfair.

6. If all is not lost, where is it?

7. It is easier to get older than it is to get wiser.

8. If at first you do succeed, try not to look astonished.

9. The first rule of holes: if you are in one, stop digging.

10. I tried to get a life once, But they told me they were out of
stock.

11. I went to school to become a wit, only got halfway though.

12. It was so different before everything changed.

13. Some day's you're the dog, and some day's you're the hydrant.

14. Nostalgia isn't what it use to be.

15. Old programmers never die. They just terminate and stay resident.

16. A day without sunshine is like a day in Seattle.

17. I wish the buck stopped here! I could use a few.

18. Kids in the back seat cause accidents; accidents in the back
seat cause kids.

19. It's not the pace of life that concerns me, it's the sudden stop
at the end.

20. It's hard to make a comeback when you haven't been anywhere.

21. Living on Earth is expensive, But it does include a trip around
the sun.

22. The only time the world beats a path to your door is if your in
the bathroom.

23. If God wanted me to touch my toes, He would have put them on my
knees.

24. Never knock on death's door, ring the bell and run (he hates
that).

25. Lead me not into temptation (I can find the way myself).

26.When you are finally holding all the cards, why does everyone else
decide to play chess.

27. If you are living on the edge, make sure your wearing your
seatbelt.

28. There are two kinds of pedestrians. The quick and the dead.

29. An unbreakable toy is useful for breaking other toys.

30. A closed mouth gathers no feet.

31. Health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

32. Its not hard to meet expenses; they are everywhere.

33. Jury: Twelve people who determine which client has the better
attorney.

34. The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.