By Senior Outlook Today, Sept. 13, 2021
Written by Janet Call –
I have had a hard time accepting that I am now 70 so I really did not want to go……a Thursdays-After-5 concert and food truck dinner at the Senior Center could mean only one thing…..a stark admission that I am now one of them. Nevertheless, I ordered my burger and chips, grabbed the cold bottle of water, adjusted my mask, and sauntered onto the spacious patio. I glanced around, then selected a seat at the periphery to observe my companions for the evening. The crowd was about 60 or 70 strong, more women than men. They were a quiet bunch, nestled into their camp chairs that I surmised had not seen a real camp site in years. Some of the women wore long sleeved sweaters despite the warm temperature or flowered shirts that looked like the old draperies from my grandmother’s dining room. Their hair was mostly a sea of silver or dull grey, some permed to sport tight curls. Few of the men had any hair at all, and those who did had arranged their remaining grey strands to make it appear as though they still had a reason to own a comb. They wore mostly long dark pants and nondescript shirts, although a pair of khaki shorts here and there revealed spindly legs and white socks with sandals. It was impossible not to spot the walking canes and occasional walkers as a steady whoosh from an oxygen machine lingered in the background. They held no cell phones in their hands, just an occasional tissue or water bottle.