It's weird being the same age as old people
The other day I saw a teeshirt slogan that said It's weird being the same age as old people. I laughed, because although 'old' is a word that I refuse to use it is kind of true ... According to a recent poll here in France, where I live, the majority of people think that 'old age' begins at 69 (though for the World Health Organisation it's 60). When I look around the folk in my village, or read books that have an older person as a character, I admit to thinking of them as other, older people ... while the truth is that I'm probably as old or even older than some of them myself. At the same time though many of my friends are in their 70s, 80s or even 90s, and do I think of them as 'old'? No, I don't - probably because they're People Like Me (otherwise we wouldn't be friends), I don't think about age, and they're just lively, fun people to be around. But the truth is that I just haven't a sense of myself as someone who's gro...