Old is Not a Dirty Word

Old is not a dirty word...would seem many don't believe that statement. Billions of dollars are spent every year on the perpetual search for the "fountain of youth." Face lifts, hair dye, wigs, make-up, liposuction...to name a few tools used in the search to stay young.

Gray hair is a sign of old age. Beauty salons make a fortune dying gray hair to the "natural" color of youth. Loosing hair and balding are money in the band for wig makers.

Gravity is probably the worst offender in the "search for youth." Breasts point down...contrary to the perky up-swing of youth. Jowls sag...wrinkles around eyes and around mouth...all signs of getting old. Then we have viagra...another process to keep a man young.

Our bones don't know our hair is dyed or that we had a face lift. They start to ache and our muscles start to feel tight...so off we go to the gym to regain our stamina of youth.

How many know women who wear their hair the same style they did when they were teenagers...or plaster on the make-up trying to hide the wrinkles? Or men who sweep long strands of hair across their head to cover their bald spot?

So, what is so bad about getting old? Who is it that makes us think of "old" as a dirty word? TV has a big place in most lives. Are the spokespersons for commercials mature and aging people? Who are the actors in the soaps and how old are they? In magazine ads, everyone is a teen or in their early twenties. Jean commercials are done by hard-body youth. Would you buy something from a company that portrayed someone with a sagging "tush" or over the waistline "belly?"

When we tell someone how old we are they usually say, "You don't look that old. You look good." The list of the search for the "fountain of youth" goes on and on. Do we fight the aging process or accept it with open arms?

Retirement homes and convalescent homes house the "old people." Granny can't remember what she had for breakfast yesterday, so off she goes to the convalescent home to live out the remaining years of her life. Gramps drove down the wrong side of the street, so take his drivers license away from him and off to the home he goes. Sell off their home and goods cause they will never get out of the "internment home for the old." Some call them "warehouses for the elderly." Death is their only escape.

The "old folks home" is a pleasant place, they are told. Fresh flowers on the dining room tables and a recreation room full of things to do. In reality, people sit in the hallways in wheelchairs or strapped into chairs waiting for a visit from loved ones. The odor of urine permeates the air. But, it is a pleasant place to live.

Occasional visits around Christmas and Mother's Day and Father's Day are what they look forward to. The year consists of 365 days. Who gets visitors on July 17 or September 20?

"Aunt Alma I am here to visit you," she said to the gray haired frail lady sitting in the wheelchair. "Don't you remember me Aunt Alma?" Aunt Alma looks up at her and smiles a blank smile. Of course she doesn't recognize her...she hasn't seen her in 5 years.

Wisdom is usually associated with maturity. In other words older people are supposed to be wiser. How wise is it to hide our wisdom with "artificial youth?" What is the conclusion of all I've said. I think the conclusion is in the mind of the reader. Is "old" a dirty word?