I’m a Senior Citizen and Proud of It!

“Dammit, my car is stolen!”

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I recently celebrated another birthday, putting me a year deeper into my status as a Senior Citizen. It’s wonderful. Now, if I have time, I can set my own hours and take life at a leisurely pace.

That’s the challenge, isn’t it, finding time. Things get in the way: part-time jobs, volunteering, honey-do’s. Where’s the time to kick back and relax, just be a Senior?

This Senior status allows me certain behaviors that I completely avoided, heretofore, and with good reason. I can let my eyes squint and mouth droop open when I’m idling at a red light.  There’s no need to tuck in my shirt or shave everyday. There are just some days when I say, “to hell with how I look”.  If my plaid shirt and plaid pants clash, it doesn’t matter, I’m not dressing for success at this point, I’m dressing to cover up and be decent.

Senior Citizenship comes with perks like discounts at restaurants and movie theatres.  I unabashedly ask for them because preserving money is important, which explains why I cut my own hair. That alone is $30 a month right to my bottom line, and with the little hair I have left and its color, no one notices an uneven border.

I’m allowed to say ‘huh’ and ‘what’ as often as I please. And if I wear a tie, it might be thin while the styles are wide. Or, it might be a bolo, the western ‘string’ tie. I get up to speed on medical issues and the latest in joint replacements just by having coffee with a few contemporaries.

Corny jokes get laughs, primarily from other Seniors, and I can tell the same joke a few days later because… well, just because.

On the bright side, my Senior status allows me to give advice to young people, and I do, even if it’s unsolicited. Some listen. I remember my dad gave advice and most of it turned out to be good advice*, when I listened.

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Friendships become more important among Seniors. We support each other, laugh at each other’s foolishness and share our woes. Our spouse truly is our best friend; sharing life draws us closer. Oh, the dog is a good friend, too, but not really our best friend, in spite of the long standing marketing to the contrary.

Yup, Senior Citizenship is a rewarding phase of my life. By the way, I found my car, I always do. I was in the wrong aisle. Honestly, it gets ‘stolen’ and recovered half-dozen times a year.

“Now, where the hell are my keys?”

* see story, “My Father’s Pearls: A String of Old-fashioned Wisdom and Advice” 12/15/16

Steve
srbottch.com

To all my Senior friends around town, at the gym, in the neighborhood, there’s a little bit of this in all of us…

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srbottch

Retired in 2013 after 5 years as an elementary school teacher and 40 years as a sales representative to begin anew as a school crossing guard. SMy essays/stories are a way to communicate through the telling of personal experiences. One reader said about my blog stories, "...these are like a cold sip during a marathon run, simple, real life events". Another offered about my blog, “it brings some sense of normalcy not easily found in the modern world.”

20 thoughts on “I’m a Senior Citizen and Proud of It!”

  3. Bonjour mon ami
    J’aime beaucoup cette histoire la.
    However I deeply regret IT’S TOO SHORT !
    I wish To have more next time.
    I don’t recognize you on the picture ?
    What does honey-do’s.means… ?
    Amicalement Tendresses
    🐻🐻🐯

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  4. Happy Belated Birthday, Steve! I can so relate to the trials & tribulations of the “Senior” thing…although I think 80 is the new 60 so keep working it! Was intrigued by your ‘Barr Chronicles’ – you are a brave man, unabashed by exposing your feminine side 😉
    Maybe you could help convince our technicians that Yoga is ok for men. Thanks for the chuckles! Linda (Brighton Mower)

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    1. By 80, I’ll probably write about ‘volumes’ of habits. I didn’t know ‘that side’ was exposed. Good thing I’m in the last row. I do all this stuff, but I’ll be damned if I can lift a mower. Those guys do okay without a feminine side 😂. Thanks for the positive feedback!

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  6. Moving into Geezerhood has its upside as you spelled out quite well.

    I actually did have our car stolen about a year ago. We got it back in a couple of hours, undamaged, but littered like a circus had passed through.

    Thanks for making me smile over lunch.

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    1. John, if I only get 1 comment like this with each story, I’ll be happy. Glad you enjoyed it. May I suggest the ‘Bar Chronicle’ stories. They’re about 3 friends (geezers, too) who go out for a beer (maybe 2) about once a month. Wish you could join us. I look forward to reading you…

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  7. Your timing is perfect. I saw a group of men sitting in the outdoor cafe today. All seniors, playing cards with cigarettes dangling from their lips. Talking loudly of life and laughing. Looks like a good stage:).

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