Shit Just Got Real

I mean we all know it’s coming.

And we joke about.

But for Gen X it’s a legit core memory moment.

People who have AARP cards are wayyyyy old man!

They like get discounts at the movies and Denny’s.

Like, we are sooo not them, man.

It’s like, old school Publishers Clearing House Ed McMahon shit.

We are soooo not that!

Are we?

It’s all a Jedi mind trick

How we “view” ourselves in relation to how we viewed – and currently view – others.

Sure, yes

Times have changed.

Old people are not as old as old people used to be when we were young.

That’s a sentence that should not make sense – but it does and you know it.

Older people in the 20th century wore one piece skirt bathing suits and complained about the weather and they retired earlier and sat around all day until it was time to go to an early dinner and then have a wild night playing canasta.

They didn’t play pickle ball.

Or take around the world vacations.

Or take on second or even third careers.

Or ( insert any of the myriad of things me parents do daily that keeps their mind, body and soul active)

Those people, the Golden Girls of the hood, they had AARP cards.

We are not them.

We are not them.

See Jedi mind trick.

Because “old” and “what does old look like” is all relative.

We will never view ourselves as “them” because they were the older, the other.

Just like the Zellenials ( I mean seriously what generation are we on now I can’t keep track) just like they view us.

In their perception, in their dimension, we are the attributes they assign to “old”.

And to them, we are not them.

And we’re not.

We are not the young – as they see themselves.

We are not the old, as they see themselves.

We just are.

We just ARE.

We just AAR(P)