Happy or Unhappy?

I am going to open this week’s post with a quote from Dale Carnegie and end with yet another quote from Abraham Lincoln.

“It isn’t what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it.” ― Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People

What makes me happy? Well, the fact that I am in my eighth decade of life, healthy for the most part, and retired to boot!

Let’s see, why do I like being in my eighties:  Well, now that I think about it, it really is not much different from being 50, 60, or 70 except on those days I wake up feeling like I am 99!  On those days, I want to say, okay Jeeves, I think I’ll have my breakfast in bed today. But guess what? You got it – no Jeeves!

What is the main concern of being in my eighties or any age for that matter? Getting through the day. Possessions are no longer something we seek. The reality of it is that people such as our children and friends mean more to us than possessions. Our comfort over ambition is uppermost in our minds. We value trust more than we do money. And while we all know we gotta go sometime, we find that we value love more and find it more satisfying than we do immortality.

Let me end this portion of my post by saying that… seeing that I am turning 82 this year, guess what? I only have 18 years left until I can celebrate the century mark! Okay, enough about that – let’s move on to something lighter and hopefully funnier because that is why I write. To make us laugh.   

Take a trip in your mind with me. Did you ever wonder about the quizzical expression found on monkeys at the zoo? Are they thinking to themselves: “Am I my brother’s keeper or his keeper’s brother?”

My post would not be complete were it not to include some trivia so here goes:

Did you know that when the mood of an octopus changes, so does its color! Or that a cow spends approximately 18 out of every 24 hours chewing on something…or that the leader of a wolf pack is always female!

Here is yet another thought from my wild and crazy mixed-up mind: People may argue whether we came from the apes, but most agree that we’re going to the dogs.

Of course, so that we do not go to the dogs, what is needed by humans is just this: “We need to be surrounded by more open minds and fewer open mouths.”

Some might ask me why I feel so lucky to be almost 82 years of age. Well, I have a big-screen TV, two remote controls (one for the sound bar and one for the TV), and a wife of 58+ years. And the good news is “they all still work!”  

To end this piece allow me to borrow a quote from Abraham Lincoln who said:

“We are as happy as we make up our minds to be.” – Abraham Lincoln

Remember:

Until next time. Y’all come back now, ya hear!