In 1988, President Ronald Reagan declared August 21st to be National Senior Citizens Day. See the proclamation here.
Of course, when he did this, I was in my 30’s and didn’t notice. I stumbled on this fact just a couple of days ago.
So it’s nice to be remembered, but this group and this website is about more than that. As our Spry Master Chief Squirrel Officer said in her very first post:
“Our bodies have changed, but we are who we’ve always been! Fun and serious, goofy and intellectual, tireless or tired, meeting challenges with determination and committed to living the best life we want, no matter what that looks like to you.”
As much as I appreciate the special day, the few young people who will offer me a seat on the bus or the nifty senior discounts, I would rather be appreciated for what I am, what I have achieved, and what I hope to achieve. Not just my age.
When I see some 80- or 90-year-old celebrity being honored, it seems like they are not being recognized so much for the films they made, the books they wrote or the songs they sung in their lifetime. They are instead being acknowledged for something they have not done. They haven’t died.
In this world of “you’re only as good as the last great thing you’ve done,” I still recognize that many old films are classics, many old songs are timeless, and the people who created masterpieces in the past are still masters. And my all-time favorite movies and tunes are still from the 60’s and 70’s.
When I was young, I didn’t appreciate Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Tony Bennet and the other greats of my parent’s generation. It was just hard to imagine being a part of that time.
It was last summer when it hit me in the face. Sylvester Stewart had died at the age of 82. You remember him. Sly Stone of Sly and The Family Stone.
So, I now embrace them all. The rat pack and The Rolling Stones (Mick Jagger just turned 83 last month). No matter how old I get to be, I’ll still show “Respect” to these “Everyday People.”
And if you’re too young to get those references; Google it.