I have always been aware of upcoming decade birthdays, usually starting two years ahead. When a friend plotted a surprise 28th birthday party for me, lo these many years ago, I was thinking ahead to age 30. Now, when I see a person walking around with the aid of a walker, I think, “There but for some undetermined space of time go I.” I can even envision aging for my grandchildren. Sometimes I imagine what the teenagers might look like as 80 year olds. I’m sad that I won’t be able to know them as they go through their lives. And I wonder if I would have liked my Grandma Rose who died when my mother was 25, weeks before my parents’ planned wedding. Rose was musical, smart, and probably not particularly affectionate.
Have you ever noticed that some people used different language when referring to old people? Why isn’t a 25 year old “spry” when blazing through a difficult workout? Well-meaning health care professionals might ask, “How are WE feeling today?” when dealing with an old person. The word old is not an insult, any more than the word young is an insult. Let’s get real about people being themselves, whether toddlers or grandparents. Three music albums ago, I wrote a song called “Sharp As a Tack”. Here it is.
Susan Rose: Singing Grandma 