Last Friday came and went with little fanfare – no celebrations, no parties, no parades. Maybe we forgot about it or didn’t pay attention. We are locked in our homes anyway with the virus around that can kill us.
It was National Senior Citizens Day (NSCD) and only one day after my bride’s birthday. I bought her a lovely card with numerous glowing descriptive terms like: endearing, wonderful, incredible, and loving. Obedient was not listed. She is doing her best to live up to them. I’m constantly reminding her, “Remember the card honey!”
In any case, National Senior Citizens Day is not a public holiday but, dad burn it, should be. We have paid our dues. Ronald Reagan made it official by signing the order in 1988 making August 21st National Senior Citizens Day.
According to one definition of what qualifies you as a senior citizen, “There is no clearly defined age when an American becomes a senior citizen. Some people might consider themselves seniors when they are invited to join AARP, qualify for Medicare, or officially retire from the workplace. Some 96 percent of current 50-year-olds don’t consider themselves senior citizens and only slightly over half (56 percent) of 64-year-olds say the term senior citizen applies to them, according to a recent survey released.”
I would say the easiest way to determine if you are a senior citizen is to look at yourself in front of a full-length mirror. If you are over 50, you quickly notice gravity is not your friend and has a cruel way of telling you, “it is what it is, baby!” Keep s sense of humor folks and age gracefully.
Aging Rock Music – The good old days of rock and roll. Great news! Some of the old favorite singers and bands have re-released their great hits with new lyrics to accommodate their aging audience…
• Herman’s Hermits: “Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Walker”
• Credence Clearwater Revival: “Bad Prune Rising”
• Marvin Gaye: “I Heard It Through the Grape Nuts”
• The Who: “Talkin’ ’Bout My Medication”
• The Troggs: “Bald Thing”
• Carly Simon: “You’re So Varicose Vein”
• The Bee Gees: “How Can You Mend a Broken Hip”
• Roberta Flack: “The First Time Ever I Forgot Your Face”
• Johnny Nash: “I Can’t See Clearly Now”
• The Temptations: “Papa Got a Kidney Stone”
• ABBA: “Denture Queen”
• Leo Sayer: “You Make Me Feel Like Napping”
• Commodores: “Once, Twice, Three Trips to the Bathroom”
• Procol Harem: “A Whiter Shade of Hair”
• The Rolling Stones: “You Can’t Always Remember What You Want”
• The Beatles: “I Get By with a Little Help From Depends”
Aging Classmates – Trying to remember the good old days: While waiting for my first appointment in the reception room of a new dentist, I noticed his certificate, which bore his full name. Suddenly, I remembered that a tall, handsome boy with the same name had been in my high school class some 45 years ago. Upon seeing him, however, I quickly discarded any such thought. This balding, gray-haired man with the deeply lined face was too old to have been my classmate. After he had examined my teeth, I asked him if he had attended the local high school.
“Yes,” he replied. “When did you graduate?” I asked.
He answered, “In 1965.”
“Oh, you were in my class!” I exclaimed.
He looked at me closely and then asked, “What did you teach?”
‘More Exercise’ Relationship – Building a strong marriage
Gene: “The Doctor said my wife and I need more exercise, so I bought myself a brand-new set of golf clubs.”
Joe: “What did you buy your wife?”
Gene: “A lawn mower.”
