We’ve all experienced moments of depression or annoyance when thinking about life and age. Moments of forgetfulness where names, places, and dates seem to have receded into the far corners of our brains. The knowledge is there, but as the old “386” tries to keep up with the flow of information, it may take some time before the answers pop up.
Young children think their parents are “old”. Teenagers, well that’s a different story. Some will classify us as nerdy and strict and not understanding youth. Others, on the other hand, will find us “cool”. Whatever “cool” implies. Then there is the marketing of products. Some are “too old” for you; some, receive the outcry “Mom, you are seriously NOT going to wear THAT”. It seems that when you reach a certain age, certain things become “totally out of your league.”
When I turned 40 I didn’t feel any different than when I turned 20, 30, or even 39. And when my 50th birthday crept up, I just got on with it. I did, however, notice a fleeting feeling of invisibility. Like people were seeing me without really seeing me. Act your age, they’d say. So, tell me, how is one supposed to act at 50? Or at 58? And are we supposed to act any different at 6o? Experienced minds should Live and Let Live. Because in the end, who truly cares? Truth be told, my mind speaks to me in youthful tongues and I often find myself reacting to the feelings it ignites in a voice that seems to temper these “youthful” outbursts. Because, I have been told, it is what I’m supposed to do. Temperance! That is the Key. That key is also boring. So very, very boring.
Turning 50 does not make you old. It does not turn you into a doddering slob or into an ignoramus
from one day to another. And after living a whole half century, I believe we, geezers, have earned the right to darn well do as we please. Including behaving and wearing outfits that make our children cringe.
