King For A Day...

It's good to be the King, even if it's only for a day. Today is my birthday(43) and my family has done an incredible jobs of making me feel special. We've had a great day together - we went to church and it was inspired and challenging as usual. We then went to lunch at the beach and it was great. We then hung out on the beach for a few hours - played in the water, tossed the football, got sun burned and then played some mini golf. I think we're even gonna go to a movie tonight and I get to choose! I guess that's one of the advantages of getting older is that people treat you nicer cause they don't know how much longer you'll be around. Just kidding - I really appreciate all that my wife and sons do - not just today but every day.

I’m actually not too bent out of shape about having another birthday. Do you realize that in seven short years I’ll turn 50 and then I get some really cool benefits, like the free coffee at McDonalds and the discounted auto insurance with AARP. That’s good stuff now! Plus, I know that so many of you who are reading this are much older than me. I draw great comfort knowing I'll always be younger than you (and you know who you are).

Actually, I found a few thoughts on aging and getting older – thought I would share them with you. Any comments you see to the side in ( ) are mine.

The nice thing about getting senile is you can hide your own Easter eggs.
When you are young, you want to be the master of your fate and the captain of your soul. When you are older, you will settle for being the master of your weight and the captain of your bowling team.
Anybody who can still do at 43 what he was doing at 20 wasn't doing much at 20.
People who are over 40 are worth a fortune, with silver in their hair, gold in their teeth,stones in their kidneys, lead in their feet, and gas in their stomachs.
Old age is when a person notices that his shoelace is untied and asks himself. "Is there anything else I can do down there when I lean over to tie by shoelace?"
God grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway... The good fortune to run into the ones I do... And the eyesight to tell the difference! (True…)
If I knew I was going to get this old, I would have taken better care of myself when I was young. (Truer Still)
There's nothing wrong with the younger generation that twenty years or so won't cure. (Truest Yet!!)
The older you get, the better you get (unless you're a banana)
You're asleep, but others worry that you're dead. (Just put a mirror under my nose)
Your knees go out more than you do. (Yes they do don't they Rob?)
You quit trying to hold your stomach in, no matter who walks into the room. (That happened along time ago)
You buy a compass for the dash of your van. (Warren….)
You are proud of your lawn mower. (Butch….)
You're getting old when getting lucky means you find your car in the parking lot. (Rose Mary…)
Your arms are almost too short to read the newspaper. (Ron…)
You take a metal detector to the beach. (Ron again….Hey, I like my metal detector!!!)
Your friend is dating someone half his/her age, and isn't breaking any laws. (I ain’t saying a word)
You sing along with the elevator music. (Feelings, nothing more than feelings…)
You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge. (No, but my 19 year old son does)
People call at 9:00 p.m. and ask, "Did I wake you?"
You answer a question with, "Because I said so." (Yes, Yes I do)
You send money to PBS. (Not quite yet)
The end of your tie doesn't come anywhere near the top of your pants. (I don’t wear ties anymore thank you very much)
You can't remember the last time you laid on the floor to watch television.
Your ears are hairier than your head. (No their not, I use my nose hair trimmers on them!!!)
You talk about "good grass" and you're referring to someone's lawn. (Ahh the good ole days…kidding)
You're getting old when you don't care where your spouse goes, just as long as you don't have to go along. (Have fun at the mall baby, take your time)
You know you're into middle age when you realize that caution is the only thing you care to exercise.

You Know You’re getting Old when:
The candles cost more than the cake.
You go to the mall not to shop but get a free blood pressure examination.
Your ears perk up when a laxative commercial comes on TV. (Actually Imodium)
You spend more time on the menu than the waitress. (Let me see, I’ll have the….)
When you do the hokey pokey and you "put your left hip out" . . . it stays out.. (….and you shake it all it about.)

…and finally a short poem on aging:

I get up each morning, and dust off my wits,
pick up my paper and read the "obits".
If my name is missing, I know I'm not dead,
so I eat a good breakfast and go back to bed.