The last three days have insisted I think about age: my age, other peoples' ages and how all of this aging stuff works. I have had Facebook discussions with a few friends (and even an ex-boyfriend) from my teen years in the last 3 days... all people I haven't verbally spoken with in about 25 years or more. Yet, when chatting online with them, I feel as if almost no time has passed. Yes, I am married and have kids now... big, grown kids. Yes, I have been a teacher for the last 16 years, and even though that is a huge part of my life, these folks don't know that part of me. Still, there is this direct cord that seems to connect me to the 18 year old I was- she is still in here. She has been very vocal lately as circumstances have made her notice her own existence in my 46-year-old-world.
Three days ago my mom and I started off on an adventure to see Rod Stewart (still not a fan as I think my mother bombarded my childhood with his music) and Santana play in Eugene, Oregon... those guys are old. I thought of them as old guys 25 years ago... and guess what? They are still old. However, the process of walking into the stadium made me feel REALLY young. I was surrounded by Baby Boomers- grey hair EVERYWHERE... I wasn't sure I met a minimum age requirement to even enter the building. But as I sat and watched, I noticed something: they don't think they are old anymore than my inner-self will let me think it. I really began noticing a few songs in when Carlos Santana told the audience to get up and dance... the Baby Boomers with their early arthritis, new knees and deepening wrinkles immediately followed orders. They ignored their old shells and danced... and I felt even younger. A bit later, this same crowd, as if to drive home some universal message, began scream-singing "Forever Young" with Stewart. When he launched into singing "If you want my body, and you think I'm sexy"... I could do little other than laugh. He was up there in tight pants dancing with a projection behind him of a quote he said years ago: "I don't want to be 50 and still singing about people wanting my body"... well the guy is 69 years old and still singing it- he acknowledged it was silly, but everyone of those Boomers loved it and sang it too... in fact, he dumped balloons all over the floor seating area and those 60 and 70 somethings played with the balloons until the show was over, then grabbed them to take home as a souvenir... do we ever really get old?
Our concert adventure continued last night when we attended a classical concert at the Britt Festival. I was definitely too young to be allowed in this concert- grey hair was gone and white hair was the norm. Still, the same rule of age applied... the music was old, but the 80 year old youngsters were out to party! One lady was in tie-dyed clothes from head to toe. The group swayed to the music and gave the 25 year old conductor and his orchestra a standing ovation that lasted for 4 curtain calls. These folks weren't home watching TV from their recliners- they had climbed a hill to listen to music they loved- they didn't know they are old... and I mean some of these folks were REALLY REALLY old... they just felt alive. My mom looked like a youngster in the group...
So... about aging: our bodies do it, but it seems for many of us, other than experience, our minds don't get it... and I've noticed I feel less-old in understanding this. I feel less-old in seeing the life of the folks I've encountered in the last few days... there is still so much living to do no matter how old we are...
(on a side note: next week I'm going to see Bruno Mars with my girls... I may be writing about how old I feel after that experience!)
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