George Carlin on Aging

GEORGE CARLIN ON AGING

(Note: George Carlin’s comedy has always made me laugh. Here is a piece that he wrote that has not aged, even as we have!)

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we’re kids? If you’re less than ten years old, you’re so excited about aging that you think in fractions. “How old are you?” “I’m four and a half.” You’re four and a half going on 5.

You get into your teens, and you simply jump to the next number. “How old are you?” “I’m gonna be 16.” You could be 12, but you’re gonna be 16. Eventually.

Then the great day arrives and you become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. You BECOME 21!!

Then you turn 30. What happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk. He TURNED; we had to throw him out. What’s wrong? What changed?

You BECOME 21. You TURN 30; You’re PUSHING 40. You REACH 50. Then you MAKE IT to 60. By then you’ve built up so much speed, you HIT 70. After that, it’s a day by day thing. You HIT Wednesday…

You get into your 80’s; you HIT lunch, you HIT 4:30. And it doesn’t end there…

Into the ’90s, you start going backward. “I was JUST 92.” Then a strange thing happens; if you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. “I’m 100 and a half.”

8 thoughts on “George Carlin on Aging”

  1. Hi Linda – I really enjoyed this piece, and it is so true – when we are young we cannot wait to get older, not realizing that it comes soon enough, but I think the most interesting part is that we also do not realize that with age come aches and pains, and when I go to see my doctor to tell him my Arthritis is getting so bad – his reply is always “what do you want, after all, you are 87” – so, definitely age is wasted on youth. Thanks so much, a beautiful piece. Sent with love, Ursula

    2. Ursula. That’s terrible. What you want, like any human being, is to be pain free! Your doctor should help you with that. I have a friend who swears by CBD oil.

  2. Linda — that piece is priceless. We really embed a lot in the verbs we use. I am now 78 and oddly enough I actually look forward to being able to say I’m 80 (not necessarily BEING 80, but being able to SAY I’m 80). I’m in great health, so it feels more accomplished to be healthy and 80 than healthy and 78. I have a nagging feeling that this is not a good way to think. That I should savor every moment of having turned, hit, reached 78 in good health. Who knows what will happen in the next year and a half?

  3. Linda..this is great and so true!!! I have always said we should change our thinking, while we are young to, ” I can’t wait to be 50!” I guess we would have to change the legal “drinking” age to 50 then too. Right? We would then kill two birds with one stone if you think about it.
    ??

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