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Fifty is old?

A recent news article said that baby boomers and others over 50 should start thinking about getting older, or to put it more delicately, learn to live with the “A word” (for aging).

Readers under 50 may want to skip this column, or read it and see what they are in for.

I’ve always heard the adage, “Old age is not for sissies,” and didn’t pay much attention to it. Then recently, my friends in the same age group started talking about some other “A words,” — aches, arthritis, angina, autoimmune.

I first heard aging called the A word by an ophthalmologist who explained that my eye condition (floaters and other debris) was caused by the A word. “Oh, no!” I said. “It isn’t possible that I, too, am aging?” “Yep,” he said. “If you are lucky, it happens to the best of us.”

Mmmm. I had to think about that.

In my family, no one mentioned aging. Everyone tended to step over the rocks of high blood pressure, glaucoma, etc. and wade on in the streams of life.

We were lucky no one was struck with a chronic, debilitating illness. On the other hand, there was a great deal of denial in our group; such as my mother’s declaration to the doctor and us that she “DID NOT have a stroke.”

In this culture, age defines us. Toys for children are designed to be “age-appropriate.” Supposedly, a toy with a 3+ stamped on it is suitable only for a 31/2-year-old to tear into it. This suggests that a 5-year-old who likes to play with the 3+ toys may have some questionable traits.

Teenagers can get away with any behavior since their brains are still growing. Their youth becomes a legal event as they become old enough to drive, drink and to be incarcerated.

Aging is so far in their future that I have heard those younger than 30 refer to people over 50 as “fossils.”

Not so.

When she was in her 80s, my aunt said that life was great through the 70s, but by the mid-80s, “everything starts to fall apart.” She lived to be 96.

Careers, especially for actors and athletes, are age-confining. Teams don’t hire 70-year-olds to win games. After 40, actresses are no long ingénues.

What we don’t hear much about, however, are those in the A category who have overcome its stigma.

Judge Oliver Wendell Holmes began the study of an ancient language in his 90s. Others have graduated from college after retirement. The A word for them could be “attitude.” Another word, “acceptance,” is also a key.

We need to accept that, for physical reasons, there may be things we cannot do when we are older.

But with whatever resources and health we have, the world is still in need of the experience and wisdom of those who have navigated the earlier ages.

It still riles me when someone takes my arm to keep me from falling. Why do they think I might fall? My stubborn mother wouldn’t let anyone take her arm even as she ascended 15 cement steps with no railing on a wet day. I’m with her.

Everything is age-related. My dog is 10, and the vet refers to her as geriatric. When things fall apart in the house, it is comforting to remember that it is probably because it is 75 years old.

Recently, my car (which is older than most) ran out of steam at an intersection in town and had to be towed in for servicing. The diagnosis? No surprises! “The car’s problem is age-related.”

Eden native Rachel Wright is retired as a Morehead High School teacher and RCC instructor.