Can we talk?

Gray Power

         I get excited when I see older people who are vital and vigorous and accomplishing things. I saw a man who teaches martial arts on TV last night, with white hair. He's retired from the FBI and has been a police detective. He is a black belt instructor, still active and fierce. He was recently a body guard for Chuck Norris while he was traveling. Wow. Not that's an example of gray power.

         I hate hearing people put down because of their age. I knew a sales manager who had just turned 30. He went out of his way to find fault with all the sales people over 40 until they either quit in anger or he found a reason to dismiss them. He lost some of his best sales people for petty reasons. I believe the base reason was his own insecurity around them, but he would never admit that.

         I've seen retail clerks and office people give older women around them a hard time. The older ones might have been more knowledgeable, and better liked by the public, but their hearing wasn't as good, or they moved a little slowly. By comparison the younger women were inept and prone to mistakes. Still they had no tolerance for age. One lady told me her mother should quit working so that younger people could have her job. I asked her age, and she told me. Her mother was 3 years younger than me! I was a divorced woman who had to work to pay my bills and to get insurance. I couldn't survive without my job, then or now. But some young people think we have no right to survive I suppose.

         I like seeing older people physically active or doing volunteer work or having fun together. No one should retire from life or from charity, at least not until they become physically or mentally infirm. Seeing older people working hard and being productive makes me want to cheer.

         I have a friend who is 90. She still cuts her own grass with a push mower. She trims her own hedges, and rakes her own leaves. Another is in her 80's and has her own share of problems. She cooks food for funerals or people who come out of the hospital and delivers flowers to the home-bound.

         I once had a landlady who rode a lawn mower at 74 to do acres at her place and her sister's. She went all over the county helping people and did work at her church. Someone said "I hope I'm that active when I'm her age." I answered her, "I'm not that active now, I know I won't be then."

Go Gray Power!!!