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Wednesday, May 27, 2015

HOW TO STAY YOUNG


HOW TO STAY YOUNG
 
I hope to never move to a “Senior Community” or even worse an assisted living home.  There is a lot to be said for a Senior/Retirement community, and if need be, assisted living beats the heck out of being left alone and vulnerable.

My objection to both these living arrangements is there are too many old people in these venues.  Mind you, I love old people.  I am an old people myself; it is just that hanging with old people makes you...well...old!

The way to stay young is to hang around young people. 

I became a father for the fourth time when I was 52.  When I was with my son, and other young fathers, I felt younger than 52.  Because I had a young child, the actual young people treated me as if I was also young.  It helps to feel young if people treat you as if you actually are young.

As my young son grew, I was forced to do young things.  Throw a ball, catch a ball, coach youth teams, and even run from time to time.

When I was 60, I associated not with other 60 year olds, but with other parents of 8 year olds.  Occasionally I may have been referred to as “The Old Fart,” but I was still mostly one of the younger crowd.  Talk was of little league, fractions, grade school, teacher conferences, you know…young stuff.  I felt young and almost spry.

When my oldest brother was ill, I paid a visit to him in North Carolina.  I went to his Granddaughter’s music recital and a party afterwards.  I found myself mingling with parents of young children, parents the same age as my crowd back in Jersey, only now I was introduced as Grandpa’s brother.  I was treated by these young people like a Grandpa, like an old person. 

I immediately felt old.

By the time I went back to Jersey, I had arthritis in my hip, I gained ten pounds, and what hair I had was graying around the edges.

I recovered a little, but when my son was taken off to Massachusetts because Jersey Judges suck, I lost my youth attachment.  When he does visit, he is a teenager now and teens will always make you age. 

Old people and teenagers are the fountain of elderly.

The only thing that could make me feel older is if on my next birthday I am told patronizingly that I am 70 years YOUNG.  Nothing says they just dropped the landing gear on your airplane of life then to be told you are xx years YOUNG!

Anyway, the youth thing was a good run while it lasted.  I gotta stop writing now; it’s time for my nap.

20 comments:

  1. It gets better, you know. As the years go by you begin to enjoy bragging about age. It gets like a competition, people always want to be older than you/me/everyone. I look at my ageing kids and think, hey, you're better than them. I just had my 81st so I know what I'm talking about... I think!

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  2. If it takes a baby to make one feel young, no thanks. I'm out. lol

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  3. Heh, heh. Fountain of Elderly! I agree with you about the 70 years YOUNG. How patronizing! I also hate it when medical staff and retail people refer to me as YOUNG lady. I want to slap them and scream "STFU!" But then, I'm crotchety like that.

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  4. When I was in my 20s, driving to work, I passed a senior living home. It was dark and rainy outside, so I could see through the windows. Inside were a few seniors, playing a game at a table. I thought, "You know, that wouldn't be so bad. Instead of rushing to work, all stressed, just to spend the day hanging out, playing games!" I'm sure it looks much better from the outside looking in.

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  5. Just marry someone many years your junior (I think you've already done that) and ride a motorcycle or buy a sailboat. None of those need to be fed at 3 am or have a diaper changed. :)

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  6. i think i've stayed 'youthful' since i don't have kids (but age is catching up to me). :)

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  7. Sigh. If only children did keep one young.

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  8. Hey, maybe it is time to have another child:)) The thing I hate the most is when I am called "young lady"-- their knowing full well I am not.

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  9. I'm 57; we talk about getting a puppy; I don't know if I have the stamina for one :)

    If and when we get grandchildren, I too wonder if I will have the energy for them too.

    Now that we moved to a city where there are a lot of retirees, I suddenly feel very young :)

    betty

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  10. I'm an old fart and happy to be one... !

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  11. Last year I took care of the 4year old granddaughter for three days while her parents went to a conference. Lord above, it certainly illustrated the 66 year age difference.
    I know that having health issues can add to it considerably too.
    I can still do a lot of things, fish, etc. For the rest, there's dreaming, where I can still fake to the left, drive and go up and up, my hand at the rim.

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  12. I'll be 64 in September and I'm young too. It's a frame of mind and you're doing just fine.

    Have a fabulous day youngster. ☺

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  13. My wife and I were both 46 when our youngest was born (and I gotta tell ya, I have nothing but the highest admiration for her being pregnant at 46), so I know what you're saying about hanging out with other parents of young kids when you're old enough to be the parents of the other parents. In fact, one of the classmates of our youngest is the son of one of the classmates of our eldest, which is a little bit strange. . .

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  14. You said it right..... "The way to stay young is to hang around young people"
    It makes a lot of difference. My photography assignments make me mingle with young crowd who are enthusiastic and full of life. (the latest was Latin dance party on Sat & Sun on which I will be writing my next blog)

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  15. Too funny (esp. how you aged on your visit to your brother) but also so true! It's both a physical and a mental thing, and let that be a lesson to all of us sedentary computer-users ... (giving myself a stern talking-to here)

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  16. I hang around young people a lot. Now I can't communicate with older people.

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  17. Just go out of your way to do the things that make you feel like life is still worth living, and the age won't matter so much.

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  18. My aunt and uncle live in a retirement community. They party more than I do.

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  19. While you felt young for a while, your body kept getting old. Darn! Enjoy what you can do now because the alternative is around the corner.

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