The adage, “Old age ain’t for sissies” is becoming more relevant as time marches on.  At parties, we boomers have conversations with our friends about cardiologists, wrinkles, bunions, body-part replacements and things that hurt - including tight pants because some of us are NOT giving in to elastic waistbands yet!

We sometimes play games like, Who can get up from a couch without using your hands to propel yourself? Can you do it gracefully? Without making that noise? 

 And there is always this conversation:

            “Talk louder …Wanda can’t hear.”

            “What? You want another beer?”

 It’s a hoot. None of us could have pictured how we look now, or how we sometimes have a little hitch in our giddyap when we walk, or that we plan dinner dates for 5:00. The thing is, the aging thing just sneaks up on you, so gradually, that you don’t even notice - until you do! And then, you obsess.

    “What the hell happened here?!” I have asked myself while looking in the mirror “Dammit. Time to unscrew another vanity bulb!” Sigh.

  “When did I get (fill in the blank) fat, age spots, varicose veins, wrinkles, leather for skin, hair growing out of my (fill in the blank)?!”    

“Where are my damn glasses?!!  Oh, on top of my head.”

 Aging itself isn’t the only problem here. It is also the perception of aging that bothers us. I know that sometimes one of us might take too long paying for groceries because we must look in our wallet to find the paper that we have our pin number written down on because, God forbid, we might forget it someday, and the young person waiting behind us is thinking, “Old fart!"

That’s the problem! Young people do not know we are cool! Whereas our parents’ generation is the greatest generation, we are the coolest generation!

We are Rock n’ Roll! We shouted/sang along with the Stones! The Beatles! The Doors! Aerosmith! We were the generation of Woodstock! Hippies!  We wore mini-skirts and bell bottoms and flowers in our hair.  And, I will even admit to a brief fling with hot pants and go-go boots!  Old fart? I think not!

And, I was at the very last Beatles’ concert at Candlestick Park where I screamed  when Paul waved at me when their limo drove by!  You do not get cooler than that!

We are still the cool kids. We are just disguised in these mature bodies. The next time you see one of us wearing a Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts, or capris and a cover-the-midrift top, there is a cool kid underneath. Just look for us. We’re still here.