Across the pond

…..according to one of those round robin emails I received today. It did not promise I would win a million dollars if I sent it on to twenty others. It was written imperfectly, as if it was the revelation of someone who had suddenly discovered a truth. Though it did have a link urging me to sign up for a premium Flicker service costing real money.

So maybe I should post this in Business and Politics as an example of how money is extracted from the unsuspecting in 2008.

But what the hell, I liked what it said. So I sent it to seven names in my contact book. Except that there were not seven names in my contact book, because I have not yet spent the necessary time to restore it, since my motherboard blew up a few months ago and I had to buy a new computer.

Below you can read what Anonymous wrote. Probably American. Or it could be that most people who learn English these days think biscuits are cookies.

Old Age , I decided , is a gift

I am now , probably for the first time in my life , the person I have always
wanted to be. Oh , not my body! I sometime despair over my body , the
wrinkles , the baggy eyes , and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback
by that old person that lives in my mirror (who looks like my mother!) , but
I don’t agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends , my wonderful life , my loving
family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I’ve aged , I’ve become
more kind to myself , and less critical of myself. I’ve become my own
friend.

I don’t chide myself for eating that extra cookie , or for not making my bed
, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn’t need, but looks so
avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat , to be messy , to be
extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they
understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM
and sleep until noon?

I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60&70′s , and if I
, at the same time , wish to weep over a lost love. I will.I will wal k the
beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body , and will dive
into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from
the jet set .

They , too , will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again , some of life is just as
well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure , over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break
when you lose a loved one , or when a child suffers , or even when
somebody’s beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us
strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine
and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray , and
to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face.
So many have never laughed , and so many have died before their hair could
turn silver. As you get older , it is easier to be positive. You care less
about what other people think. I don’t question myself anymore. I’ve even
earned the right to be wrong.

So , to answer your question , I like being old. It has set me free. I like
the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am
still here , I will not waste time lamenting what could have been , or
worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day. (If I
feel like it)

FRIENDS FOREVER!

Forward this to at least 7 people and see what happens on your screen . You
will laugh your head off!!!!!!!!!

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