THE SOUND OF LAUGHTER
If you can laugh at yourself, you'll be smiling all day
Sometimes you just have to see the humor in your own situation. All of us, as we age, will face many of the same failings and foibles. And as each ache and annoyance approaches, we will have a choice to make: let it get the best of us or make the best of it.
Laughter will help with the latter. And in that regard, we present the following lyrics. Urban legend has it that Julie Andrews sang this version of The Sound of Music's "My Favorite Things" in concert at Radio City Music Hall in celebration of her 69th birthday in 2001. Fact is, that never happened and wouldn't have been possible since she lost her ability to sing as a result of surgery in 1997. Nevertheless, these lyrics to that memorable tune are guaranteed to make you realize you aren't going through these changes alone...and that one of your favorite things should be to know when to laugh at yourself.
Maalox and nose drops and needles for knitting,
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up in string,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Cadillacs and cataracts, and hearing aids and glasses,
Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favorite things.
When the pipes leak,
When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.
Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions,
Bathrobes and heating pads and hot meals they bring,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Back pains, confused brains, and no need for sinnin',
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin',
And we won't mention our short, shrunken frames,
When we remember our favorite things.
When the joints ache,
When the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the great life I've had,
And then I don't feel so bad.