Norman Lear is in good spirits as he celebrates his 101st birthday.
The legendary All in the Family and Good Times marked his centenary plus one on Thursday with a reflective yet playful video posted on his Instagram.
“Good morning and good afternoon, good evening, depending on where you are, who you are,” Lear began, before breaking out laughing.
“It’s Norman Lear here, dribbling a bit because he’s entering his second childhood,” the One Day at a Time creator joked. “I’ve just turned 101, and that is, they tell me, my second childhood.”
He added, “It feels like that because of the kind of care I’m getting. I get the kind of care at this age that I see children getting, toddlers getting. And so I am now a 101-year-old toddler.”
Norman Lear’s Career in Photos
Norman Lear.
Araya Doheny/Getty
Lear noted, “I’m thinking about two little words we don’t think about often enough, we don’t pay enough attention to: over and next. When something is over, it’s over, and we have the joy and privilege of getting onto the next. If there were a hammock between those two words, it would be the best way I know of defining living in the moment.”
“I am living in that moment now with all of you, and bless all of you and our America,” he concluded.
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Celebrities flooded the comments with appreciation for his life and his work, including Working Girl star Melanie Griffith, who commented: “Sending you love Norman!”
“I love you Norman!” wrote Superbad director Judd Apatow. “Happy Birthday! You are always an inspiration.”
A slew of other high-profile figures dropped Lear a “happy birthday” on his post, including Alyssa Milano, John Mayer and Octavia Spencer.
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Norman Lear.
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Last year, Lear exclusively told PEOPLE, “I’ve never chosen anything to do that I didn’t wish to do. My awards and accolades mean a great deal to me, but they don’t mean as much as the drive to the studio today. I still explode with joy, excitement, interest and utter delight every time.”
Of marking his milestone 100th birthday with his loved ones, he shared, “I can’t wait to be at my home in Vermont and celebrate with my entire family – my wonderful wife [Lyn Davis, an Emmy-nominated filmmaker and political activist], my six children, my two sons-in-law, and my four grandchildren. How lucky am I?”
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Source: HIS Education