Saging Well

For so long, I couldn’t tell what age group I was in.  Much like the challenge of accurately gauging the age of trees, I couldn’t identify my own demographic.  Young adult always seemed sort of odd, especially with young kids in tow.  And shortly after that – what was I to be called, maybe just an adult?  What year heralds the beginning of middle age anyway? I may have missed the beginning of middle age but I am ushering myself out, that is for sure.

So now I’m what?  A “senior citizen”?  A woman of “advancing years”?  Maybe an “oldster”, “older” or simply “old”?  “Mature” whether it is an apt description of  my behavior or not, could be the label.  Easy to ignore the categorization when AARP sends out their friendly invitation but at age 60, I’m there.  Or am I?  I want to somehow challenge the assumptions about “old age” without selling out my loyalty to those older than I, as I will be lucky if I am able to enter those “advancing years”.

The place to start with all this may be the language.  Unfortunately, we live in a society where there is no term that instantly conveys respect, appreciation and acceptance.  An entire page could be created about the associations with any of the words in this posting that appear in quotation marks.  “Elder” as opposed to the “elderly” is probably the best, but it is a push for me too.

There are so many of us entering these years, so many with creativity and  extraordinary wordsmithing.  Let’s bring new words to the table — not because we are more deserving than those who have already bravely made their way along these paths and not because we are embarrassed by the current options for the “old” and the “older”.  Let’s do it  because we recognize that we too, have been guilty of discounting the value and the wisdom of those who are “advanced in years” and that it is time to step up to the challenge.  Create language that is real, words that show reverence, labels that honor.

Can that happen without a change in cultural values?  Who knows.  Why not try?