New Decade Opens That Door to Revisit Old Age Attitudes

Romance does not fizzle with age; it merely strengthens. Retirement offers the chance to become a full-time mate and spend more time together.

Fred and Ginger

(SALEM, Ore.) - A new year gains entry on our doorstep, as does a brand-new decade. Yes, the old one is somewhat decayed anyhow. As Father Time passes by, now is the perfect time to take a serious look at how we characterize Old Age. The Age of the Rocking Chair is gone. Older folks today often like to do aerobics and dance and swim, not always settling for playing bingo or sitting on the sofa while soaking in TV.

Many senior centers engage their clientele in current events, learning computer dynamics, and absorbing a foreign language. Fearing the incursion of Alzheimer's due to greater longevity, today's seniors are stepping up to the plate and seeking out ways to fortify their memories. They do puzzles, read books and magazines, and take foods rich in antioxidants. Travel is a hot-ticket item for expanding one's mind and one's horizons. As long as the set of life experience expands, that spirit of adventure can endure. And it must be stressed that adventure is not the exclusive domain of the young. There's ample turf for all ages. Romance does not fizzle with age; it merely strengthens. Retirement offers the chance to become a full-time mate and spend more time together.

For some couples it provides a unique opportunity to do reflections on past events and come to terms with small errors in judgment before they get magnified out of proportion.

None of the above represents old notions, but a fresh perspective of how we view that age bracket all of us may one day reach if fate permits. To condemn or demean the process of aging is self-destructive to our future. Let us not undermine our society at large.

Rather we can apply our gray matter to the day our hair follicles turn that color.

===========================================

Salem-News.com Community Writer Barry Lee Coyne brings to our readers stories from his combined career of journalism and gerontology, and explains that these paths shaped his values. This writer-therapist often views the world as the masks of comedy and tragedy placed upon the scales of justice. For him, optimism inevitably wins. "Lyrical Lee" has traveled to 30 nations aboard and was once a press intern at the UN. His first published article was in The NY Daily News in '59, dealing with the need for integrity in public office.

He also launched the nation's first tele-conference on health education for shut-ins, created the Eldermentors project in VA to pair retirees with immigrant students needing role models, and was the main catalyst behind CCTV's "Public Public" panel show here in Salem. Lee received his BA in International Relations and an MSW in community organization. He currently serves as a member of Salem's Library Advisory Board. To send Lee an email, please write to this address: notcoy@netzero.net