By Carl Sampson
I recently turned 60. Yep, the big six-oh.
I feel pretty good about it, too. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever felt better. I mean, I’m not going to run any marathons or anything, but I feel pretty good. As they say at NASA, all systems are nominal.
At least, I did feel good until I ran into an old friend the other day. He had recently turned 60, too. He was really down in the dumps. Way down.
“Sixty, ha,” he said. “This is the year I disappeared.”
“What do you mean!” I asked, adjusting my bifocals. “I can see you.”
“That’s not what I mean,” he said. “When I was younger, when I walked into a room, everyone noticed. And I mean everyone. The girls, the guys, they all sat up and took notice.
“Now, no one notices,” he said. “Heck, even the dog ignores me. It’s like I’m a ghost.”
I thought about what he said. True, no one attracts people’s attention like a twenty-something. That’s just the way it is, and always has been.
“But look at it this way,” I said. “It’s not about looks. It’s about experience and knowledge. And you can throw in wisdom, too. You’ve forgotten more than the typical twenty-something has ever known.”
“That’s the problem – I forgot it,” he said.
“That’s not what I mean,” I said. “You’ve had experiences no twenty-something could even imagine.
He started to perk up.
“Come to think of it, I have done a few cool things,” he said. “I’ve flown airplanes, sky-dived, scuba dived, I ran my own business. Married the most wonderful woman in the world. And I raised a house full of kids with her.”
“There you go,” I said. “That’s more than any 20-year-old twerp could do.”
He perked up some more.
“In fact, I’m going to go out of my way to make sure I attract attention,” he said. “I’m gonna to dare people not to notice me. I’m gonna shake them by the scruff of their neck – figuratively, of course.”
“Now you’re talking!” I said. “Kick open the door and tell everyone to get the H-E-Double Hockey Sticks out of the way! Put some glide in your stride, some pep in your step. Remember the Gray Panthers? One old lady stood up and, with a single speech, started an entire social movement.”
“Yeah,” he said. “But aren’t they a bunch of lefties? I mean. …”
“That’s not the point,” I said. “The point is that you, I – anyone – can stand up and be counted. We don’t have to sit in the back of the bus. Stand up and be counted!”
“Darn right,” he said. “I dare someone to ignore me. In fact, I dare any of those little whippersnappers to get in my way.”
“Hey, you remember that old saying, ‘Never trust anyone over 30?’” I said. “Nowadays, I felt just the opposite — Never trust anyone under 30!”
“Right on, brother!” he said.
Carl Sampson is a freelance writer and editor.
His third book is due out this fall.
