Just two days ago, a new coworker at my very part-time job said she couldn’t believe my age when I told her I’m 67. She said you don’t look anywhere near that! Very flattering and a tribute to my good genes. And, that came from someone who is probably in her 40s.
Last night, I went to meet some friends for a surprise birthday dinner. Granted, it was early, but we wanted to get a seat in the popular outdoor riverfront restaurant on a beautiful evening. I also had to leave early for my grandson’s football game later on. I told the hostess, who must have been whatever the legal age is to do that job, that I was meeting friends and didn’t know if they were there yet. Her reply was, “You must mean the old couple out there.” Sure enough… She obviously thought I belonged with them.
We laughed about it the whole evening. One friend’s first response was “There goes the tip.” There were also comments like “Old people forget to tip.” It’s all about perspective, I guess. In truth, a lot of us tip better than we did when we were younger because we’ve either had those jobs or our kids or grandkids have and we understand why tips are needed. We had some younger people in our group, too, including two in their 50s and one in her 20s. We are very inclusive.
I guess we are considered old, but aren’t we all unless you’re a newborn? We are all aging every day of our lives. That’s a fact. The difference in “Old People” is that we have a better perspective on it. We realize that we are all interesting, we have more to talk about, we are generally more accepting than when we weren’t so old.
The other thing is that most of us are grateful for all those years and appreciate the time we’ve had and the time we have left. We’ve all lost friends or family members on this trip through life and we know we’re the lucky ones who are still here and still kicking! We might have done some things differently, but our life is what it is. Time is definitely flying by on the downhill slide of life, but we’re enjoying it for what it is.
So, yes, we’re the Old People. It’s shocking to us because we’re not that old inside. Just full of experience, funny stories, wise observations. My hope for you Young People is that I hope you live long enough and well enough to be one of us.
Confetti Thoughts 