"Ya Gotta Love AZ!"

I do love Arizona! Not just the weather (It is currently rainy), but also the way we treat older people out here!

I don't feel old. I don't look at myself as older. Why here in AZ, I only qualify for the senior discounts at Ross, Denny's, and Savers. All others say I must wait at least another 5 years. I can qualify to live in Sun City, but I would be among the babies of the community. But I prefer Glendale, where the rest of my local family all live. I miss Mr. Boo and his mommy and daddy! (Boo hoo!)

Perhaps this feeling of youth stems from years of working with the elderly in care facilities, where I was the Activity Director. I am still young enough to be the child of most of the residents I served. I used to take one lady who was 102 years young on outings to museums, malls, and parks. She was remarkable! Except for using a wheelchair, no one could keep her down. She could still thread a needle and did her own mending. She had a fabulous outlook on life, even though it had dealt her some tough days. She was an immigrant from a communist country and lost not only her belongings and property, but her son as well, in her quest for freedom. Yet she had an unquenchible sense of humor.

I used to run exercise groups for people with an average age of 84. How can I be old, just in my fifties? (I must confess there were days when I experienced aches from that class, but please don't tell myself that!)

Perhaps this feeling stems from the fact that I still chase children all day long. And I do mean chase. Baby Girl thinks it is funny to get into something and then run!
I can still hit a ball. I can still carry two kids and three bags all at once.
I can jump on a trampoline (but there are consequences to that one if I don't have extra padding in the right place!) No further comment. I will also admit that I do have some ailments common to aging, and have difficulty removing the tops of sippy- cups at times!

I will also confess that I have a few gray hairs, but I also contend that those did not come from aging, but rather from parenting! Anyone who has successfully survived three teenagers and seen them into productive adulthood, deserves a gray hair or two just for proof of survival!

I don't know what constitutes "old". It has to be more than the amount of years we have walked this planet. It must be something about perception, wisdom, and desire. Maintaing youth has to do with learning from your mistakes, approaching life from the positive and yet accepting what you cannot change.
I learned a lot from my previous residents. Sometimes we really are as young or as old as we think.