Aging Gracefully or Grateful to be Aging

 

There are milestone birthdays we all celebrate/dread. At 18 we can vote or get married. At 21 we can drink. 30 and 50 seem to be big life moments that are often the subject of sit-coms. And 60 is when we begin to consider when we want to retire.

I got through all those with little emotional response, but when I turned 70, it seemed big. Really big. Life-changing big. Attitude big. I woke up every day wondering if all my body parts would still work, and was relieved that I had enough pension to last me the few days I had left.

Then I reached 71. The drama subsided, and I began to embrace the perks of elevated senior citizen status.

Before 71, I rushed through the grocery store grabbing what I needed and exiting in a whirlwind. Now I browse. I chat with other old people. I check coupons and sales. Recently, I stood quietly at the frozen food section deciding if I wanted frozen strawberries or mixed fruit. What would I use them for? Which worked best as a snack? What was the cost per ounce of each? A Kroger employee stopped pushing her loaded cart to ask me if I was alright since I hadn’t moved in a bit. I assured her I was fine, but I then determined not to stand still too long anywhere for fear of someone calling 911.

There are advantages to being 71, and I have listed them in a table below, copied from a spreadsheet I created.

 

	Before 70	After 70
Computers	Was expected to have a competent working knowledge of computers, the internet and social media.	Others are impressed by my use of words like table or spreadsheet.
Good manners	Always used “yes, ma’am” when speaking to other women in case they were older than me.	Seldom find anyone old enough to be referred to as “ma’am” by a 70+ woman.
Carrying Groceries	Independently carried my own groceries to the car – including cases of water.	Allow random strangers to help me load groceries.
PDA	Children thought our displays of affection were gross.	Grandchildren think we are cute.
When offered a cut in line	Stood tall (well, as tall as I was able) and refused.	Look for the nods of agreement by others in the line and take the cut.
Using the phrase “Before I die…”	Elicited laughter	Elicits concern for my health
Senior Discounts	Often delayed at checkout while ID is checked.	Quick glance at face and even quicker approval.
Sharing Health Stories with Friends	Competitive about who has the best report from the doctor	Competitive about who had the worst health experience this week
Watching television	Reviewed the TV Guide each week and scheduled around it.	Appreciate streaming on my own schedule since I don’t know whether I will be here next week for the exciting conclusion.

 

So, I embrace my age and the benefits it brings. When I reach 90, my chart will be edited, and I will send you copies of the new expectations and experiences.