Up to a point, getting older is a good thing. Old enough to go to school, old enough to drive a car, old enough to live on your own and make your own decisions, and old enough to drink (responsibly) are all landmarks that we spend years looking forward to. There is a difference, though, between getting older and getting old. As people say, it is better to get old than the alternative...., but, still, there is not a lot to celebrate. OK, retiring may come with that wonderful feeling that I don't have to get another report done, get that budget done, fight that fight of office politics, or many of the unsavory realities that taint the joy of doing all of the things that I enjoy. That would be nice, but without challenges to overcome, where is the sense of accomlishment? Being able to go where we want, when we want, would be nice. Facing the reality of reducing relevance, and seeing the ease with which you can be replaced, though, is a harbinger of the final outcome.
So, it is not with a sense of joy that I face the reality that I am getting old. I am not getting older, I am getting old. No longer can I leap tall buildings. No longer, do I wear the same size pants I did when I was 30, 35, 40, or even 50. This may be my reality, and, I may be aware, but, I am not ready to be told that I am old. It was just such a reality that I experienced.
G. and I had worked way too late at the office (yes I still have a job). As we do on occassions when it is too late to go home and cook and we don't want to go to a restaurant, we stopped by Taco Bell for a bag of spicy nacho tacos. I placed my order and was innocently waiting to hear the tally when the young woman asked, "do you want the senior discount?" Wait! Senior discount is old. Senior discount is fixed income and poor. Senior discount is you eat at cheap places because you cannot afford that nice restaurant. "No, I do not need the senior discount." She looked at me skeptially and said, "are your sure.?"