Two old people jumping up

"Look Mom, two old people jumping up."

This is what my niece’s 8-year old daughter said as she looked over her mom’s shoulder at the pictures of me and Greg posted with my last blog entry.

My first reaction, thank goodness, was to laugh – and I was glad my niece took time to tell me the “cute” story via email.

Still chuckling to myself, I passed the story on to my other niece (the two nieces are sisters) because I knew she’d get a kick out of it too. She said she’d already heard the story when the two sisters were together a few weeks ago. ‘Said she knew I’d find it humorous, so encouraged her older sister to share the story with me; she was sure I wouldn’t be sensitive about being called “old.”

I replied that I am, indeed, sensitive to being seen as old, but just because I’m old doesn’t mean I can’t laugh about it.

She said she was entirely surprised to hear I was sensitive about my age. She never would have guessed it.

Yeah, well. That’s good, I guess. Mostly it’s my peers who commiserate with me about the age thing. It’s nice to know I appear to the younger set as being above such vanity.

You see, what younger people don’t understand is that we people of age still think we’re in our 20s. 30s maybe. 40s tops. Then we walk past a window or mirror – or see a recent photo of ourselves -- and want to just curl up and die. (Perhaps I speak only for the female of the species here? Or the female of the species are the only ones to admit it?)

When I was in middle school, my grandmother was my age and SHE WAS OLD. I mean really old. Wrinkly. Out of shape. Baggy. Wiggly skin. Dark spots. She told stories about things that happened way back when. Ancient history. And she was killed in a car accident when she was my age. I had no idea how tragic it was that she should die so young because I thought she was old, as in “ready to die” old. At my age. Hmmmm…

Now it seems as though the Vietnam War was last month and the Civil War was just a little bit before I was born. Life goes fast, let me tell you. I’m just grateful Greg and I can both jump off the floor long enough to catch a photo and laugh about how damned hard it is to get airborne.

“Two old people jumping up.”

There’s no avoiding it. We all know it. All the same, it’s still shocking each and every time it’s pointed out. Especially to those of us still silly enough to jump for the camera, refusing to grow up. (The really great thing about it is that our favorite movie stars are right there with us. Sissy Spacek, Robert Duvall, Jack Nicholson, Jeff whats-his-name Lebowski.)

With that, I think I’ll pour a double Jack, catch a buzz, and celebrate another day of wrinkled, wiggly silliness. Until next time, Here’s to jumping up.