Posted on 02/04/2005 7:29:16 AM PST by redhead
I suppose there are lots of benefits to turning sixty-two, but from this side of the calendar, I am having a hard time seeing them.
There are a few perks for "seniors," like discounts in some restaurants and sometimes on airline tickets or hotels. But most of the consequences of age are negative, and it's hard to accept them without a little cynicism if not outright anger.
For one thing, the plant starts to break down around age 55, no matter what you do to keep it humming a precision tune.
Here's a test: Sit on the floor. Now, get up. Easy, right? Not for an older person, who will be lucky to get down there in the first place. There aren't many things that make you feel old like not being able to get down far enough to look underneath stuff you used to be able to just bend over and scope out. Or this one: Got an itch on your back? Get your arm back there and give it a scratch. For older people, back-scratching is a long-lost pleasure. All kinds of "arm-lengtheners" are employed for this basic maneuver, all with varying degrees of satisfaction.
And, these are just the beginning. As we age, reaction times slow, vision begins to fail, and gravity begins to win big time. In the words of Al Gore during his campaign in the 2000 election, "Everything that should be down is UP, and everything that should be up is DOWN!" Blood chemistry numbers creep up, while faces, bellies, and butts sag earthward with diabolical speed.
I call myself a "little old lady," and use it in a half-mocking manner. It reminds me that even though I'd love to be doing what the kids are doing, love to be considered part of the youthful set, my age divides me from many of the pleasures of life without the slightest concern for my feelings in the matter.
Sixty-two isn't OLD old. But it's old enough. Old enough to be considered frail, ugly, and deranged by most youngsters. It's old enough to know that if I lose a mate, I am moved to the "Clearance" racks in the marriage market, and even the considerable markdown doesn't guarantee that I will be picked up anytime before my decrepitude. Age narrows the field of possible suitors/suitees like nothing else in today's world. We live in a culture of youth-worship and frisky funseekers, and old people, regardless of their looks or physical condition, must move themselves to the back of the dating bus.
One of the perspectives I've gained from being over 55 is this: We, no matter how old we actually are, never FEEL our age unless we are ill. In my mind's eye, at age 62, I feel closer to 50. This doesn't help me when I try to get along in the world, however, because the signs of age are upon me with a vengeance, and no matter how young I feel--or perceive myself to be--the physical evidence is there to prove me wrong time and again.
Time was when age bestowed a mantle of respectability; when elderly people were cared for by their children, nursing homes were few and far between, and the experience and wisdom of age was sought as a valuable resource for learning the lessons of life. White hair was a crown of wisdom. Men wrote songs and poems to honor their aged mothers; women sought husbands whose wisdom and behavior mirrored the integrity and courage of their elderly fathers, and youngsters turned to their grandparents with questions like "what was it like when you were young, Grandpa?" or "How did they do that when you were a girl, Grandma?"
I wouldn't take a million dollars for the experiences I've had, but I realize that the rollercoaster of my life is headed into the ending curves, spins, loops and free-falls. I hope, with the grace of God and my good health, to be able to enjoy the hell out of it, to fling my arms into the air and whoop with joy as I careen into the final shoot-the-chute.
What? You think I should just go sit in my rocker and crochet antimacassars from now on? Ahem...I'm ONLY sixty-two...
Yes, the body gets creaky, but the wisdom grows.
(Former redhead, now "silver gray)
YES, age is an attitude, salted with physical realities.....but, I LOVE getting older....it's the ALTERNATIVE that we'd rather not face.
Rx and make-up can help you shave off a few years but, honey, you can't fool a flight of stairs! :0)
Preeeee-cisely!
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