Table of Contents
Gratefully Dedicated
to
Loretta
Marysue
and
Bruce
Foreword
One time I remember hearing someone ask my friend George Burne, of he had read a certain book, current at the time.
George said, I cant read a book cuz Im writing one.
We all laughedGeorge could make anything sound funnybut he use absolutely right. Whatever else you may be involved in writing a book take precedence. There is that inexorable due date staring you in the face.
By my sixth book youd think I would know better, get once again I was thrilled when they asked me to do another one.
I simply love the process. And not just because I can do it sitting on the couch with my shoes off and my dog by my side.
Writing is my favorite thing.
Betty white
2/14/11
BODY AND MIND
BETTMANN/CORBIS
GROWING OLDER
Old age isnt for sissies.
I cant believe Im getting old.
Why do people ever say Happy Birthday?
And the list goes onweve heard them all. However, if one is lucky enough to be blessed with good health, growing older shouldnt be something to complain about. Its not a surprise, we knew it was comingmake the most of it. So you may not be as fast on your feet, and the image in your mirror may be a little disappointing, but if you are still functioning and not in pain, gratitude should be the name of the game.
Actuallyand dont laughthere may even be some upsides to aging. People treat you more gently. They may even think your years of experience make you wiser than you are. And somebody always finds you a place to sit down, whether you want it or not.
Somewhere along the line there is a breaking point, where you go from not discussing how old you are to bragging about it. I have never lied about my age, but these days I seem to work it into the conversation at the drop of a hat. Please stop me before I get to the point of, Hi, Im Betty WhiteIm eighty-nine years old! Theres nothing to brag aboutI didnt accomplish that age, it sneaked up on me.
There is even a funny side to aging, if one has a warped sense of humor.
If one has no sense of humor, one is in trouble.
I joined the American Womens Voluntary Services when World War II broke out.
BETTY WHITE PRIVATE COLLECTION
ON REFLECTION
In show business, the mirror obviously plays a big part in ones life, but early onlong before I started workingmy beloved mother taught me another role the mirror plays. I can still hear her:
Bets, you can lie to anyone in the world and even get away with it, perhaps, but when you are alone and look into your own eyes in the mirror, you cant sidestep the truth. Always be sure you can meet those eyes directly. Otherwise, its big trouble, my girl.
It may sound like a clich, I realize, but oh, its so true. On rare occasions I have tried to prove my mom wrong. I stare back at my reflection and try to rationalize my way out of something, but it never works. Those eyes in the looking glass take on a life of their own.
It still works, Mom. Even after all these years.
My beloved momTess White.
BETTY WHITE PRIVATE COLLECTION
Animal lover that I am, I am often handed animals by pet owners at events and appearances, like this cute little devil.
SARA DE BOER/RETNA LTD./CORBIS
HEALTH
As the years add up, I am so grateful for the good health I have been blessed with, and I dont ever take it for granted for a second. I make it a point to never let my weight vary more than five pounds in either direction; I wear glasses to read or to drive; I have a two-story house and a bad memory, so all those trips up and down the stairs take care of my exercise.
I had my eyes done in 1976 and have let nature take its course ever since. As for my hair, I have no idea what color it really is, and I never intend to find out. My mothers hair never went gray, it just went mousy. So when mine started going that way, I just started tinting it and havent stopped. And I never will!
In terms of my weight, I weigh myself every morning. And if I go up one pound, I take it off the next day. Its easy to take a pound off, you just skip something. But if it goes to three pounds, it becomes more difficult and one of them usually just stays there. Or five poundseven worsesometimes those just stay. I watched it happen with my mother. So I figure its easy to just take them off immediately, and its not too much of a sacrifice.
I dont have a sweet tooth, but I do have a cocktail before dinner. I also love french fries and hot dogs. The famous Pinks hot dog company in California actually named a hot dog after me, and since I eat mine plain with no condiments, its the Betty White Naked Dog. So if my weight goes up a pound or so, its easy to find something to cut out to bring it back down.
My obsessive addiction to crossword puzzles I chalk off as mental gymnastics. I love games and puzzles. On the set of The Lost Valentine, a Hallmark movie, Jennifer Love Hewitt and her boyfriend, Alex Beh, and I played Scrabble during every lunch break. And I always have a book of crosswords or acrostics in my purse wherever I go. Whenever Ive had a puppy, Ive put newspaper down for him, but if I put down a piece of the paper and theres a crossword in there, Ill snatch it right up and say, No, you cant go on that!
I subscribe to the Crosswords Club and the Puzzle Club and get a new set of puzzles every month. They were given to me as a gift, and I renew them all the time. I have stacks piling up. I wont live long enough to do all these puzzles, but its a comfort zone for me.
And no, you cant use a dictionary or an encyclopediathats a cheat.
Im not a big pill-taker, and almost never have a headache. But I once read an article about Dr. Linus Pauling, who took vitamin C every day to stave off colds. I thought, If its good enough for Linus Pauling, its good enough for mewhy not? I asked my doctor, and my doctor said thats rubbish, vitamin C has nothing to do with the common cold. But I wasnt taking any other vitamins, so I started taking vitamin C every morning. I havent had a cold in twenty years.
I attribute my generous supply of energy to DNAmy father was so filled with energy, my mom used to call him Horace the Hummingbird. Shed say, Honey, could you light long enough to sit down?
Im grateful to have inherited that gene. But in the end, the energy is also very much due to enjoying what I am so lucky to do for a living. Show business. If all this sounds too Little Mary Sunshine, please put up with me while I celebrate it.
