Editor’s Note: January 2022
I don’t look good for my age and I’m not sure I want to.
Luck, choices and genes have a lot to do with how we age. I’m not interested in meeting others’ expectations for it.
That sounds grumpy because I am grumpy. It comes with age.
Here’s an example: When I checked in for a medical appointment the other day, the receptionist asked my age. I told her, “I’m 61 years old.” She corrected me; “You’re 61 years young!”
I’m including an exclamation mark because she seemed excited to declare that 61, or 71, or 81 isn’t REALLY THAT OLD. I know this because she used the same line on the next patient who said he was 75.
She meant well but I was irritated. I was there for a pre-surgery checkup for my shoulder which needs extensive repair. I had tripped on a nail at my chicken coop, catapulted face-first into the grass, dislocated my shoulder and broke off a piece of bone. I certainly am clumsy; not necessarily old.
It’s Not Us, It’s Them
And I’m made to feel old every time I go through an airport security checkpoint. The security scanner doesn’t like my knees, which I had replaced two years ago. Although, come to think of it, knee replacements sound like something that old people get.
Anyway, when the scanner busts me, the TSA agent always asks if my knees are made of metal. I honestly don’t know. I was asleep when they went in, and I’m not interested enough to ask my doctor.
I’m dismissively waved aside for a pat-down, an enhanced screening, as they’re called. “Old people,” the TSA agent’s look seems to say. “They can’t even remember what their knees are made of.”
The slights and comments are patronizing and uncomfortably familiar because I’ve done and said such things, too, especially when I was younger. And by younger, I mean in my 50s.
We’ll be looking at ageism more closely in Boomer this year. As the only publication in Northeast Ohio focused on older adults, it’s our responsibility to promote healthy aging at every age. Let’s start by calling out ageism when we see it and navigating this age thing together.
A good example of healthy aging is the Cleveland Cavaliers Wine and Goldies dance team featured on our cover. Their enthusiasm is contagious, both on and off the court. No wonder fans love them.
I also want to introduce you to our new fitness columnist, Michael Ungar. When it comes to getting fit, he falls into the it’s-never-too-late camp. He’s also a rabbi, so that may have something to do with his outlook.
Change is good. But with us firmly settled into 2022, I’m all for ditching anything related to resolution-making. Just because it’s a new year doesn’t mean we were a hot mess in the old one. We’re doing the best we can right now, all things considered, and that’s good enough for today.
As for that age thing, I look almost 62 because I am almost 62. I’ll have a few more scars by the time my birthday rolls around in March, thanks to the chicken coop incident.
This time, I’ll ask the orthopedist about the metal situation in my shoulder so I can alert the TSA folks. Or maybe I’ll tell them I have hidden body piercings — just like most old people.
Now that will make me feel young.
~Marie
