Just Play Nice

As we age, we become creatures of habit, resistant to change, and just plain tired. We love to spout off phrases like, "When I was..." or "This generation now is..." and then we exercise such restraint to even interact with those significantly younger than us. I find myself doing this, too, but also, I have learned a lot from interacting with my younger "siblings." The first thing I learned is not to be too hasty with judgement - explore for yourself, then assess. I remember when having a spontaneous booty call was so invigorating, and yet scary; now, I try to plan my acts of spontaneity (sans booty calls). Ugh! What is wrong with that? Also, most of my younger friends have a bit more optimism than I -they are not tainted. When we age, we become "damaged," we find it easier to point out the bad in people, and we do not focus on the positive things that people bring to the table. I wish that my friends & loved ones can do this more often. I am not asking my friends & loved ones to be "cheerleaders" (they are annoying), I am just asking them to refrain from always seeking the negative. It gets old, like them, real fast. We all have bad days, we all experience life events that are not "peaches & cream," & we all have to interact with sucky people. The challenge is not to let these things damage us, and turn us into gloomy people as we age. So, to all of my older comrades, say something nice to someone today, give out a compliment, and listen wholeheartedly. Buck the gloom!