Geezerville

Age has always been something that's interested me. So many stigmas and so very many different viewpoints about how to embrace or avoid age. What's the best philosophy? Yeah, I don't know either.

Many of us think that dying in our sleep from some natural cause at a wrinkly, old age is ideal. Others have that, "hope I die before I get old," attitude.

People dress inappropriately, spend ridiculous sums of money on plastic surgery, and, my favorite, try to stay "current" by having to have the latest gadgets or fancy cars or hottest trends or young, hot friends and significant others. You're trying too hard, and your tremendous efforts will only succeed to age you more or, perhaps worse, reveal the "try hard-ing" geezer you are.

Having said all that, I think there's a huge difference between "aging gracefully" and walling yourself up in your house to never go anywhere or do anything fun ever again. "I can't do that. I'm just too old." How old is too old for something? How old is too old for anything? What is "too old to go on vacation?" If you can move, I think you can go on vacation. You don't even really need to be able to walk.

I think very few people have the right idea about aging these days. It's not what you buy or what different kinds of somethings you've "had done" to your body. It's not something you should have to lie about, but something you should be proud of, right? It's also not something you should use as an excuse to sit around and do nothing until you die. Or to be totally freaking crazy like old people around this area tend to be...

Before you get all pissed about that comment, let me just say this...

I realize certain aspects of memory and hearing and things like that start to go as people age...but please quit it with the crazy, you old farts. Seriously. I sometimes get the impression they do crazy-ass stuff just because they can. Just pushing the limits to see how much they can get away with. Clever old bastards. I also think that if they had more social interaction, there would be less crazy. If I sat in my house for five years with the curtains closed watching daytime soaps in my housecoat, I'd probably be pretty psycho, too. Get out of the house! With improvements in medicine and healthcare, we are living A LOT longer. Do you really want to spend 25-40 years of your life worrying about Hope and Beau (seriously, some of the storylines on those shows are practically mesozoic) and not seeing the daylight? I sure as hell don't.

But I dunno. Ask me again when I'm 40. If I'm wearing a housecoat, then please, just take me out back and put me out of my misery.