Friday, February 18, 2011

Age Well with Laughter

An old college friend used to make me laugh non –stop. Joke after joke, witty comments, clever bantering, jovial teasing. It seemed he lived to make us all laugh. Like many guys, it flowed out of him effortlessly, as a natural way of being, like an infinite fountain of humor.

Yet when I looked for this long lost friend online, I found an aged white- haired man, though he’s only in his mid-fifties. As I already knew, he holds a distinguished position at a prestigious university back East. Who knows how much he now laughs. I suspect he’s become quite serious. It shows.

I have another friend who is the most delightful woman I know. She’s kind, gentle, loving, intelligent, cultured, positive-minded and just shy of 90 years. She’s one of those beings with a constant sparkle in her eyes and a youthful spirit to match, no matter what her chronological age has become. A friend recently remarked that her skin is so smooth, with hardly a wrinkle in it.

As I reflect on these two friendships, I am reminded that, to stay young in body, you need to stay young in spirit.

Photo: My friend Mina

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