Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolf hound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker’s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ‘I know why.’ Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation.

He said, ‘People are born so that they can learn how to live a good Life — like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?’ The Six-year-old continued, ‘Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.’

I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams for the future. But now the winter of my life has arrived… and it catches me by surprise. How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my babies go? And where did my youth go?

I well remember…seeing older people through the years and thinking that it will be decades before I start looking like them. I could not fathom or imagine fully what it would be like to look ancient. But the clock keeps ticking and I realize that old face in the mirror is mine. My friends are long-time retirees; they move slowly, take a daily regimen of pills, and it’s easy to see that time has taken its toll on their bodies and faces.

Now, I have entered into a new time of my life, unprepared for the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!

Alhough the downside of my life has come, that famed philosopher, Yogi Berra, summed it all up by saying, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” Yes, I have regrets! There are things I wish I hadn’t done, things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I’m happy to have done. It’s all in a lifetime….

You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life, so live for today and say all the endearing things that you want your loved ones to remember, and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!

“The way you live your life is your gift to the living after you are gone.“ So, make yours is a fantastic life and remember Yogi’s words…
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P.S. So sorry to say, Yogi, your words came true at the end of your wonderful life. You enriched the game of baseball, you were loved by millions of people, and a friend to all…yes, it’s over, but you are not forgotten. R.I.P.

One is Evil. It has anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good. It is filled with joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf wins?”

Think about where you’ll be five years from now, think about who you’ll have become.

What do you want to be remembered by? Who do you want to be remembered as?

If you’re looking to be mindful about your smarts and happiness, there’s something you should do regularly that you may not yet be prioritizing.

According to Erica Seigneur of the Stanford Neurosciences Institute, “There is one activity that has been shown to improve working and long-term memory, improves mood, staves off dementia in old age, and in general, makes your brain and body happy.”

What is this magic source?

A short answer…Cardiovascular exercise.

That’s right: “Exercise triggers a molecular cascade in the brain that ultimately results in an increase in synaptic plasticity,” says Seigneur. “This, in turn, is believed to improve learning, memory, and other forms of cognition.”

In other words, according to broad, population-based correlation studies, when you exercise, you feel better. More hopeful. You’re more motivated to accomplish the things in your life you really want to. Plus, according to another paper titled simply Exercise for Mental Health, “Exercise has also been found to alleviate symptoms such as low self-esteem and social withdrawal.”

It’s easy to believe that in order to improve your brain functioning, you should read complex books or do endless crossword puzzles. And it’s easy to think that when you’re feeling down, Netflix and a box of Oreos will make you feel better.

While those things may help (temporarily), it’s also scientifically proven that an efficient way to help out your brain — and mood — is a whole lot simpler:

On my daily exercise power walk, I always pass by Angelo’s Italian Restaurant on the beach in Hollywood, Florida. To my shock and great surprise, I saw comedian Jackie Mason talking and emoting to one of his smallest audiences ever, eight people who were seated at one of the outdoor tables on the Boardwalk, and they were all firing questions at him and cracking up with laughter at his replies:

Q. This may seem a bit personal but are you financially in good shape?

Jackie: I have enough money to last me the rest of my life, unless I buy something.

Q. My 12-year-old grandson is good in math, Do you think I should encourage him to be an accountant?

Jackie: Did you ever hear of a kid playing accountant…even if they wanted to be one?

After the conversation died down, I walked up to Jackie and shook his hand, and told him I thought the articles he wrote for the Internet were brilliant. I also said I thought the show he did from Oxford University in the U.K. was one his best, and I mentioned that although the English have a slightly different sense of humor and a slightly different culture, he seemed to have really reached that audience and they absolutely loved him.