Humorist Erma Bombeck declared, "When humor goes, there goes civilization."

She got the last laugh on old age. She died at a mere 69 years old.

Now to some of you that may sound pretty old, but it is not. Life inches along, then it leaps and runs. The older we get, the faster time flies.

I hope the media con that 60 is the new 40 and 70 is the new 50 is true.

And that the promise of amazing medical advancements is true, too.

My friend Joan Fisher had two knee replacements and now skis. Her husband, Byron, had a heart transplant and is hiking and skiing right alongside her.

My husband, Grit, has had four heart ablations that have now re-timed his heart to beat properly, saving him from congenital heart failure due to an enlarged heart.

Our friend and neighbor Sheryl Wardrop is a walking miracle. A stem cell replacement procedure stemmed the tide of scleraderma. The medical miracle list goes on and on.

Growing old is inevitable, but with all the medical possibilities around, right now is a good time to be doing it.

But still, why didn't God just let us get to a certain physical point in life — say 35, when our teeth are still good, when men have hair on their heads and not in their nose and ears — and keep us there until he wanted us back?

That would be a lot easier than dealing with bone loss, arthritis and other old-age maladies.

While putting on a bathing suit a few years back, I was shocked when I looked down to see the skin on my legs wobbling. I jiggled them here and there.

"This happens to other people, not me," I thought. Then I read up on cellulite creams and decided I was too cheap to buy them. I opted to just wear more clothes.

Many women (and men for that matter) don't like looking old and generally fight the good fight as best they can with creams and potions.

Whether one worries about aging or not, facts show that those who exercise regularly and make attempts to keep physically fit and mentally alert (try crosswords) and spiritually in touch fare better than those who don't.

Of course, there are pluses that life gives back — grandchildren, wisdom and time to play golf or do genealogy. And in our mind's eye, we can remain forever young.

Bombeck said, "There are people who put their dreams in a little box and say, 'Yes, I've got dreams, of course I've got dreams.' Then they put the box away and bring it out once in awhile to look in it, and yes they're still there."

I don't want to be that person.

Anyone, whether 10 years old or 90 years old, can have dreams and make them come true.

A good example comes from my neighbor Georgia White. She won't be able to attend an annual barbecue because she'll be attending her 88-year-old brother's wedding. His bride is 65.

One more quote from Bombeck:

"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me.' "

Some pretty good thoughts to chew on, especially if you still have good teeth.

e-mail: sasyoung2@aol.com