A very young man just picked up the book Keep Moving by Dick Van Dyke. He turned ninety this year and has been blessed with the gift of humor and genes that keep him younger than most men in their sixties. Thirty pages into the book, it’s clear that he’s not one to dwell in the past nor does he have sympathy with those mired in the muck of old hurts. If one were to ask the author if he sees the glass as half empty or half full, he’d surely say his is full to overflowing. Dick Van Dyke encourages everyone to ‘find a way to dance with their inner child each day’ to stay young. For him, it’s daily singing, dancing, crossword puzzles and….last but not least, a nightly dessert of two scoops of vanilla ice cream covered by Hershey’s chocolate syrup. His words could be useful for anyone caught in the habit of lamenting the passage of time…..’keep your inner child alive,dance with it,take it out to lunch,indulge it,do whatever it takes.’ Van Dyke sings in a quartet called The Vantastix. Once they visited a children’s hospital and entered the room of a young boy. ‘He looked to be about fourteen and was painfully thin and bald. He was obviously very sick. His eyes were closed. Even though it seemed as if we might be disturbing him,the nurse who led us into his room nodded that it was ok to sing. We did a couple of songs,singing very softly,our voices careful to soothe and not disturb. He didn’t respond,did not open his eyes,and did not stir until we finished and started to tiptoe out. Then we heard a quiet voice,barely a whisper.
‘Would you please play another?’ Maybe we are here to soothe and not disturb…..to use the gifts of humor….or music….or compassion to brighten someone else’s day. Who knows,perhaps that might just brighten ours as well.
What You’re Saying