Stephen Vincent wrote:
> My 26 year old clinical psychologist daughter tells me (tauntingly) at 65,
> "You're 'young old.'"
> "Say what?"
> "65 - 75 is young old.
> 75 - 85 is old.
> 85 - on is old old."
>
My 28-year-old teacher son, broadcaster manque, calls up and says "Hey,
old man." But then gets me into running shoes for the first time in my
life.
> "P golden P" you can check the Poetryetc archive somewhere and find poems by
> my ninety year old mother - some of which are going to be published in
> London (courtesy of a reading I gave of them at SoundEye.).
>
And they are lovely and touching things that deserve to find an audience.
> I found Peter's poem an aggregation of cliches that I don't think should be
> perpetuated. As long as Bush madness and global warming don't close down the
> species, people over fifty are clearly a growth market, as interesting to be
> with and explore with as any other new and opening terrain.
>
Uh...yeah... I get mail from Inca Tours and some other bicycling &
walking tour company. I don't know why except I live in a very rich zip
code (Rumson, NJ). Fun to contemplate, beautifully photographed, and at
lest for Inca Tours, nobody's under 40. As for being part of a growth
market I was described in a misdirected email at Citigroup in early May
as "much older." Growth market. I've been threatened with time in
alimony jail, aka debtor's prison, but otherwise can't even get
arrested:-). No, that's a lie. I got a job today. At WalMart. I'm
not making this up. I'm not into being Barbara Ehrenreich. She did
Fraudulent Poor because she could always leave. I've have found the
real thing.
> I still, nevertheless, find myself dismissing 'old' people - before I come
> up short and realize I am dismissing myself. Which seems miles from my
> pleasures, etc. of being here, writing up a storm, etc. You can kill your
> life believing stupid thoughts, etc.
>
It's nice NOT to identify yourself with some things. Your mother is
still alive. Mine died in 1992 (I was 48) and at that point the
realization flooded in that there is nobody between me and The Promis'd
End. I begin to feel old only when I associate age with some set of
programmed expectatons and start thinking of myself as Downwardly Mobile.
ken
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Ken Wolman kenwolman.com rainermaria.typepad.com
"I think men who have a pierced ear are better prepared for marriage. They've experienced pain and bought jewelry." - Rita Rudner
"Whenever I date a guy I think, "Is this the man I want my children to spend their weekends with?" - Rita Rudner
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