Monday marked Betty White’s 100th birthday and the world waited to celebrate.
Unfortunately, Betty had other ideas.
The actress, comedian and animal lover died Dec. 31 at the age of 99, 17 days short of the century mark.
My sister, Avis, would have been 64 on Monday. I wish she could have made that century mark. Instead, Dec. 24, 2021, marked a decade since her early and unexpected death.
I personally didn’t know Betty White. Just like millions of others, we watched on our small screen TV as Betty’s career began, and it spanned seven decades. Betty included many insights into how to live life in the seven books she authored.
Many of those life inferences I wish I could share with my sister. Instead, I share them with you, Star Herald readers.
My list of “Bettyisms” include:
•Don’t think of work as work. Think of work as “gigs,” because you never know which careers life could take you to. For Betty that meant gigs on the radio, on game shows, in front of the television camera, behind the television camera and writing books.
•Age is a number. We think when we reach a certain age, we should no longer try new things or continue a career beyond a certain year. Betty was over 50 years old when she played her most pivotal television role as Sue Ann Niven on the “Mary Tyler Moore Show.” At age 88, Betty hosted “Saturday Night Live” to some of the show’s highest ratings.
•Be adaptive and keep busy. Television wasn’t even a thing when Betty began her entertainment career. She evolved as the technology became available. Ag age 98, Betty voiced the toy tiger named “Bitey White” in the computer-animated movie, “Toy Story IV.”
•Life is not that short. Betty’s optimism and seamlessly endless energy shows us that life can be long, and it’s not a waste of time to make people smile. Betty showed us that being kind to people also doesn’t have an expiration date.
As we go about our days, we should all keep these sentiments in mind. I see my sister in all of these Bettyisms. I feel a reconnection, and it feels like a warm hug.