Second Time Around

       I had not watched the presidential inauguration on television since I was in high school until 4 years ago when I broke my shoulder on January 19 and the presidential inauguration was the next day. I had forgotten how exciting and boring inaugurations are. This year I was unexpectedly able to watch the inauguration as I have been furloughed from work. 

         Inauguration day is so full of hope for the president and its often all down hill after that as presidents are human. I hope that it is different this time but I am afraid that it will not be. 

        One fun fact I heard today is that George W Bush, Bill Clinton and Donald Trump were all born the same year. I have also heard that deaths come in threes. 

The freedom tower

          As many fear the dissolution of America due to irreconcilable differences I pause to remember how when Ronald Reagan was running for president everyone thought he was  old to run for president at 69 and how in 2016 the candidates were both 70 and age was never the issue and how this year with a 74 year old candidate and a 78 year old candidate age was not given much thought.  Seems that ageism in politics  has faded, coincidentally more than intentionally. 

           Is the rising age of our presidents a sign that things aren't working? They say that wisdom comes with age, but does it seem our elder politicians are wiser or does it  seem that they are more senile or stubborn or cranky? Is it that younger people see the folly in Washington and are opting out of politics?                                                                                                                                                                       

          When I was younger and watched presidential inaugurations it did not seem that chaos followed.  Then again, I wasn't paying attention to the news then. 

           I pray that things get better regardless of whether or not I watched the inauguration. I pray that those who have been trying to divide the United States for the past 12 years stop.

 

No Alternatives

     A lot of older people tell me not to get old. I never really know what to respond because there really is not a better alternative to getting old. The only way I can take this kind of advice to heart is to always be young at heart. This is the only kind of aging one is in control of . Some people are old  at 30 while others are young at 60. It all depends on attitude.
     Another popular anecdote people like so spout about aging is  "It beats the alternative". I used to find this quite annoying until I thought about how true it is. I have experienced the death of my grandparents and father . I have friends who have battled illness. It turns out just being alive and well is an awesome goal and it most certainly beats the alternative. . Perhaps one needs to have lived a little in order to appreciate the glory of life.       It is possible to get older without being an old goat. Its just a matter of how you choose to view the world. A lot of older people use their age as an excuse to never have a filter when they speak. Though this is not always a good idea, it must be quite freeing.
 When one is old one gets to have great stories to tell others about life. An older person can't be young again but then again sometimes that's good too.
  

Just a Part of Life ?

     I ran into someone I had not seen in a while yesterday. A seventy something  someone whose mind is failing her. At the event that I saw her there were a lot of people who non-chalantly said "oh well that's age for you. " It really made me take pause. This acquaintance was always a bit daffy, but she was always intelligent and nice. Though there are those who do deteriorate in their seventies , not everyone does. I would even venture to say that most do not. When its someone just a few months ago that  was vibrant and all there and now they are not its really sad. Its hard to just brush off as being a part of life when one sees the contrast so close together.
     As a post script this seventy something woman was very happy. She was singing and so happy to be with her son who was with her. If one's mind has to go at least let the pleasant parts stay. She still found a way to be happy even though her life will never be what it once was.

Young or Old

     People always say that age is just a number. this is true but not exactly. As it turns out you can't do everything you want to do in life and age can dictate some of that. Fortunately age does not determine everything. Age does not determine one's attitude and surprisingly age does not determine if one is old or one is young. Some people never seem old no matter how old they really are. My grandma lived to be a few months short of 89 and she never seemed old. This is not because she  was my grandma and I loved her, its because she was never old. She was always engaged in the world around her even as she aged and it was harder for her to get around. She was always interested in new things. My father passed away at 74 which is not old but people who did not know him well were surprised to hear he was as old as he was. He was never old. I have met a lot of elderly people who are still quite vibrant. They never got the memo that they should think like an old goat. It is so refreshing. It makes aging less frightening and more exciting. Maybe I am noticing this the older I get the younger old seems. Perhaps that's part of it but not entirely. Many people who are 65 today do not look or act as old as 65 year olds twenty years ago.
     With age one gains perspective and wisdom of what the world is about. 

Happy Birthday

      Its not my birthday today, but I thought I would write about birthdays in general. It is true that birthdays can be limiting in many ways but in other ways they make me wonder "now what?" When I reach a dreaded age I realize that its not really that different than being the age I was the day before and that there are still things to do and experience regardless of age. There may be things that I cannot do because of my age, but there are lots of things that I can do and I would prefer to focus on the positives. I  enjoy not having to worry about taking the SAT ever again, not wondering how tall I won't end up being as an adult and not wondering about so many firsts in life. Its exciting to do things for the first time but its also nice to have experienced life a little bit  and know what I like and dislike due to life experiences. Then again, , no matter how much in life one has already experienced there is always so much more to accomplish. 

Timeless

Whenever I think of my mom in my mind's eye she is always forty-something . I know how old she is now but in my mind's-eye she's always about forty.Maybe its because I don't see her so often. But I don't think so. When my grandparents were alive I thought their looks never changed.
I have a friend who has permanent injuries from an accident. The funny thing is that I forget about them until another friend meets her and uncomfortably asks me what happened to her. Its not that I don't notice her injuries its just that I forget they are there.
      When one first gets to know someone all one sees is their physical appearance. Once you really know someone all you see is who they are.

Age Matters

      There is so much emphasis on looking young and being young in this culture that we sometimes forget that there is value with age. The thing that few people  tell you is that with age one gains insight about life that one does not get from anything but from having lived a bit. This is only a plus. I was fortunate to have someone actually tell me this years ago. Of course at the time I thought she had three heads. But this acquaintance at work told me that she was happy to be the age that she was and that she finally felt confident and comfortable with her lot in life. At the time I hoped that when I would be her age that I would feel the same. I am not yet the age that she mentioned, but I now I see a little bit more of what she meant. I too am more comfortable with who I am and who I have become than I was in my twenties which helps make up for the fact that I'm not actually in my twenties .
     When I was younger I would listen to adults talk about different time periods in their lives nostalgically and I could not exactly relate to it. Now I can and its not all bad. Its fun to be part of the youth culture of the day, but its also nice not to have to worry about always keeping up with it because you know that today's trends are the not too distant future's glamour don't.
      Decade to decade attitudes change as well as fashion. One really has to find what one is comfortable with and stick with it. The pop philosophy and attitudes  of the day will always change. It does not mean that you have to.