Old Person Alert

Kim from North Carolina writes "OK, I am now officially old....I ate an Activia Yogurt, PRUNE flavored....and liked it!" Now, Kim is close to my age and I have to say that I really appreciate her intelligence and humor in making this observation. Yes, our bodies are changing, and that's okay because we can fight that (tooth and nail, as the saying goes), and be applauded for our efforts. What I think isn't okay is the denial that we are or should be changing because of or in spite of our age... I'm glad to say that I seldom feel 'old', except when confronted by certain expressions of youth. I don't mean immaturity as exhibited by my 12 year old child (I mean, can one really ever get tired of fart jokes?), but the youthfulness of my (dare I say it...) peeps who are still all hip and up to date with every trend and seem to be the same as they ever were. That makes me feel old. And, while it is fun to remember, and even occasionally indulge in activities and past-times I once pursued on a regular basis (I am thinking specifically about clubbing, drinking and other possibly illegal activities here), to re-live those days, well, that's not really for me. Those days were some of the best of my life, but I refuse to accept that they were THE best I will ever have. My best is still to come. I know this as surely as I know that giving myself the chance to develop and explore new interests will be even more fun than re-living the old days. So, for my friends who might not allow themselves the joy of changing and discovering themselves anew, I say "okay, as long as it works for you". But, I need to warn them that I am now, in my advancing years, hopelessly UN-HIP, and that to me, 'Peeps' will forever be the bright yellow sugar covered marshmallow chicks we put in Easter baskets.