KEEP MOVING and other tips and truths about aging by Dick
Van Dyke
I loved
reading this book. It is part memoir and part “how-to” on the art of aging. Van
Dyke’s writing is optimistic, positive, energetic, filled with humor, and
sprinkled with wise reflections on getting older. Van Dyke was 89 years old when
he started writing the book. He is in good health, sharp of mind, and happily
married to a woman over four decades younger than him.
Here is
what he shares in answer to the question, “So what do I think really matters.
1} Family and Friends
2} Questions (Always questioning about
the meaning of life. Questions like; What can I do to help? How can you be so sure? Am I
using my time productively? Am I ok with myself? If not, why? Is my heart open?
3) Music
4) Books
5) A Sense of Humor
Throughout the book the reader is treated to little examples
of the author’s creativity and humor. An example is this limerick titled “A Separate
Plot”.
There was a young man
from Dallas
Who overdosed on
Cialis
His body was laid
To rest in the shade
With a separate plot
For his phallus.
The final chapter of the book is a recent conversation
between Van Dyke and his best friend, Carl Reiner, who is three years older
than the author. Very funny. Finally, this poem.
The Thing That Lasts
The one thing that persists
From childhood through
Whatever age you are right now
Is the love we feel for one another
And still feel even more today.
Love is the thing that lasts.
You feel it more than the aches and pains.
You remember it when other memories fade.
You crave it when you have no taste
For anything else.
You pick it up when you feel weak.
It’s on your smile in the morning
And in your dreams at night.
It’s what you carry around with you every day.
It’s what you take with you.
It’s what you leave behind.
Love is the thing that lasts.
That makes it all worthwhile.
I wouldn’t trade a minute of it.
