“How to Age Gracefully”
Wednesday, 02 September 2015
Last month, a long-running Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) radio program, Wiretap, came to an end. The show and its host, Jonathan Goldstein, had been charming listeners on the CBC, SiriusXM radio and Public Radio International (PRI) radio for 11 years.
Somehow through all that time, I missed it entirely. It is described at Wikipedia as
"...a weekly half-hour of conversation, storytelling and introspection, culled from equal parts real-world experience and the warp of Goldstein's imagination.' Each show tends to have followed a particular investigative theme; past show titles include: Life Lessons, Reach for the Top, Prized Possessions and Our Fathers.
Poet and TGB reader Tom Delmore sent me a link to Goldstein's online farewell message to his audience that concludes with a video that is the best prescription for ageing gracefully I've ever heard or seen.
At the end of his message, Goldstein writes:
“...all of us at WireTap want to stay in touch. We're going to keep our Facebook page going so you guys have a place to hang out and talk about shows, to talk about life.
“We're going to pop in, too, to let you know about new projects - and there are some exciting ones in store. And just to say hi.
“In the mean time, we have something for you. A while ago, we did a radio story that seemed to have stuck with people. We decided to invite listeners down to the CBC and make it into a video. It's all about growing up and how that process never ends.”
Without further ado, here is this important video: How to Age Gracefully.
Do you have a favorite piece of advice from the video?
I loved this piece...especially that no one know what they're doing. Be true to yourself and live the life you want, It's all we've got.
Thanks for this delight today!
Posted by: Diane | Wednesday, 02 September 2015 at 05:46 AM
Great words of wisdom for all of us.
Some early morning thoughts..
It's not about how many times you swing for the ball, miss, fall flat on your ass, it's about what you do after you get up.
Forget about trying to fit in with the so-called popular kids.
Figure out what you are good at and work that thing to success.
Do one good thing for someone else every day.
Make eye contact when being introduced. Learn how to shake hands properly.
Cut your toenails, nose and ear hair. Be neat.
Don't bully. This behaviour comes back to bite you in the ass when you are least expecting it.
Don't try to compete with cars, houses.
live below your means.
Find a quiet place to sit and contemplate your future.
Have goals, long and short term goals.
Stay curious.
Posted by: Doctafill | Wednesday, 02 September 2015 at 06:01 AM
Loved the video!
Posted by: Linda C | Wednesday, 02 September 2015 at 06:28 AM
Wonderful!
Posted by: lucy locket | Wednesday, 02 September 2015 at 07:19 AM
I love the one "Don't listen to other people's advice. They don't know what the hell they're doing. any way" (Or something like that.)
Shakespeare had it right "To thine own self be true; then thou canst be false to any man.'
Posted by: Darlene | Wednesday, 02 September 2015 at 07:55 AM
Keep on truckin' ... goes well for my generation ...
Posted by: janinsanfran | Wednesday, 02 September 2015 at 08:15 AM
Loved it, had seen it before but it's good several times over. Darlene, Canst NOT then be false to any man. LOL
Posted by: Lyn Burnstine | Wednesday, 02 September 2015 at 08:16 AM
Nice Vid!
Just goes to show you, older is not always wiser.
Posted by: Olof Ekbergh | Wednesday, 02 September 2015 at 08:28 AM
I plan to stay wired as long as I'm on Planet Earth. I tried being normal, once. I was the longest three minutes of my life. Lovedlovedloved the video! Thank you, Ronni
Posted by: Fritzy Dean | Wednesday, 02 September 2015 at 08:40 AM
Dang that auto finish....it does NOT Want me to stay weird! Oh, well, weird, not wired.....
Posted by: Fritzy Dean | Wednesday, 02 September 2015 at 08:42 AM
Oh boy, the "nobody knows what the hell they're doing" was the best of all! Love it!!
Posted by: Florence | Wednesday, 02 September 2015 at 08:43 AM
Thank you for sharing the video--wisdom, indeed.
Doctafill, I appreciate your list so much, I have shared it with my niece to pass on to her "kids" (all in their early 20's).
Posted by: S C Jones | Wednesday, 02 September 2015 at 09:38 AM
I reposted the video on my Facebook page. It's a good one.
It reminds me of a science fiction story I wrote about an old guy time traveling back to talk to his sixteen year old self to give him advice and discovering that people never take advice, even from themselves.
Posted by: Jim Harris | Wednesday, 02 September 2015 at 10:30 AM
Somehow seeing the title of your blog today posted right underneath all those pics of you through the years seemed amazingly appropriate. Thank you, Ronnie!
Posted by: Kathleen Noble | Wednesday, 02 September 2015 at 12:11 PM
I think I will also share this on my Facebook page. It's too perfect not to share. Thank you, Ronni. And I had to laugh at Fritzy Dean: when I read he/she plans to "stay wired," I agreed, and then I found that he/she meant to "stay weird." Both ways are good. If I were not wired, I'd have missed this post! :-)
Posted by: DJan | Wednesday, 02 September 2015 at 12:30 PM
I, too, like the 92 Y/O's comment about not listening to other people's advice since they don't know what they're doing anyway. I agree--none of us does. We're just muddling through as best we can, which doesn't mean that I don't occasionally listen to other people. Sometimes they have something worthwhile to say--not often, especially if they're politicians--but sometimes!
Posted by: Elizabeth Rogers | Wednesday, 02 September 2015 at 01:26 PM
I wonder why I cried all the way thru this......
Posted by: Pam | Thursday, 03 September 2015 at 06:43 AM
Make younger friends. And keep making them. You can never have too many friends, no matter their age.
Posted by: dkzody | Thursday, 03 September 2015 at 11:44 AM
Make older friends, too! They're more likely to die on you, yes, which will really suck when it happens -- but they'll be able to give you advice like this.
Plus... hey. How else are they going to make younger friends?
Posted by: Sylvia | Thursday, 03 September 2015 at 04:31 PM
Oh, thank you, S.C. Jones
From doctafill looking out a a hotel room window just outside NYCity.
"So here's to you, New York." (Paul Simon)
Posted by: doctafill | Thursday, 03 September 2015 at 04:39 PM
Thank you for the correction, Lyn. There is another correction needed; the quote about advice should not have had the word 'hell in it. Everybody knows I suffer from CRS.
Posted by: Darlene | Friday, 04 September 2015 at 08:42 AM