My husband and son crack me up. They can have an entire conversation using movie quotes. They start laughing and crack each other up! How do they even remember them all? I love a good movie and I remember quotes - but not THAT many! Shawshank Redemption is one of our favorite family movies for sure- that and The Man from Snowy River (the music is AMAZING). If you haven’t seen them you are missing out. It’s hard to watch them with our family because we say all the lines. It does drive some people crazy - but we just laugh.
In Shawshank Redemption both the characters Andy and Red say, “Get busy livin’ or get busy dyin’!” This particular quote sticks with me each time I hear it. How many people do this? We have all heard that the second we are born we are dying - one step closer to death, but who really wants to hurry up and get there?
People have gotten so busy in life and use their busyness as an excuse for not doing things. “I can’t because we have this or that!” I am guilty. It’s not that we don’t want to do certain things, we just prioritize things sometimes differently than others. We go through seasons where we are hustling around more than other times. It goes on and on and on and then out of nowhere… it’s time to retire or change to a new season in life and our pace slows down or goes a different direction.
I’ve watched as many of my family members and friends have gotten older and I have noticed two types of people- those that embrace the passage of time and those who get sad and start acting older. The latter of the two seem not to live as long. It is sad to me. Those are the people who feel sorry for themselves and start focusing on everything that is going wrong with their health, their lives or just the world in general. On the other hand, the folks that love life…. sometimes it gets them early, but at least they are fishing or doing something fun!
When speaking of health, my mom has always said, “It’s just maintenance after 50,” and boy she’s not kidding. I have a group of friends that have been together for over 30 years and it’s funny to think about all the stages of life we have been through together. Our discussions have gone from dating, marriage, kids and their many stages, to now laughing about hot flashes and the aches and pains we have. The key word here is LAUGHING!
It is a perspective, my friends! It is the truth - WE ARE ALL DYING, but it is also a fact that WE ARE ALL STILL LIVING too!!!! HELLLOOOOO WE ARE LIVING!!! So celebrate getting a discount for your age or for all the work you have done. There are AMAZING facts and articles in AARP magazines. Learn something new! Exercise more! Try a new hobby! I taught myself to crochet to make our first grandbaby a blanket and it ended up a beanie. HA! So, I made about 50 beanies!
It’s wonderful all the new things I have learned since I retired. RETIRED and REINSPIRED is my new motto! I want to someday be the wise ole’ grandma that my grandkids and great grandkids call to hear my opinions and stories. I want to embarrass them by dancing in front of their friends without having to go get an ice pack. So, think about what the men in Shawshank said, “Get busy livin’...” and don’t worry about the rest of the quote - that part will take care of itself. Now, get up and take a walk!
What are the newest things you have started doing in life? Do you have a new hobby or want to have one when your life slows down? What can you do to positively reinspire your world now or when it’s time? How can you inspire others to do the same?