NPR had a contest a while back asking people to come up with
better names for people of my age group and above and you know what? Nobody
could come up with a kind name for this age. They offered “Senior Citizen”, “Golden
Years”, “Active Older Adult”, “Aging”…there are no kind words to honor people
of this age group. I can’t think of any either.
In centuries gone by, white wigs were worn to honor the
wisdom of age…but, in general, if people
didn’t live as long back then as they do now, I wonder what age the white wigs
were honoring!
So on my milestone birthday coming up, I’m not feeling the
number I’m given or the ads I’m getting in the mail. All I can think to do is
to incorporate my experience into my career (that I’m lucky to have at this
age) and make sure I treat all ages with the respect and understanding they
deserve.
