Well, I guess this is one of those days the experts would call a “milestone” day. Today is the day I turn the corner to that magic number of age 62. I read somewhere that over the next several months, and possibly years, there will be about 365 of us turning 62 each hour. Just think of the economic impact of this age group.
As I thought about turning 62, a few questions came to mind as I enter through the door to become one of “them”. Thanks to AARP I have been enjoying various “senior” discounts for a number of years. So naturally, my first question is when does a person officially become a senior citizen? For me, I will take whatever discounts are offered and even ask for more if they aren’t obvious.
Then this morning I heard a news report indicating that school children and the “elderly” were sending care packages to our military troops in Iraq and what question came to mind? When does one officially fall into the category of “elderly”?
Don’t you just hate categorizations? Based upon your life experiences, training, and influences, these categorizations tend to put visual images or thoughts in your mind that may be or may not be correct. For instance, I suspect many of us have images come to mind when the terms “grandmotherly” or “grandfatherly” are mentioned. However, grandmothers and grandfathers today may not fit the Norman Rockwell images.
Do I feel 62? I don’t know. I have never been there before. I don’t know what it is supposed to feel like? I have been quite blessed in that God has given me good health and I am able to do quite a bit still today. It is not my desire to sit and rock away but it is my desire to “reposition” my self for the future by changing my focus.
With the advances in medical treatment over the years, our average life expectancy has increased. It is not unusual to have folks living into the late 80’s, even into the 90’s and some living to be over 100 years of age. This means that we spend our first 20 – 25 years of life preparing for the work force, the next 40 years or so actually in the work force, and another 20 – 40 years repositioning or adjusting ourselves to experience a changed focus in our lives.
I look forward to the future and doing different things.
