To Jenn I’m an old man, but in Los Cabos I’m an athlete, and the choice of how I live my life deep down inside is up to me!
Hi folks! Thanks for stopping by!
Picture of Jenn, who I admire for her grit, as she is today, and yes, Jenn gave me verbal permission to write about this encounter over a beer/wine with friends (my witnesses).
One of the keys to continuing a program of safe exercise for better health, and to maintain your level of motivation, as you age, is to stay young at heart and learn from those younger than yourself in order to remain an active member of society.
I was enjoying a glass of wine with friends the other day, when I noticed how young those people are. Boy! They are young! Some of them are under 30, for heaven’s sake, barely out of diapers. We all meet at the UNC track on Sundays, followed by beer and wings (a kind of tradition), but they’re too fast to run with this old age-grouper, which is fine with me. I just like hearing the banter of different generations.
Jenn was obsessing (in my opinion) about her hair, which she had had cut really short. Everyone was saying how great it was, but I like long hair on women, so I said so. BIG MISTAKE. I just said what I thought, and I still think what I said, which was, “Jenn, I liked it better long.” Oh Boy! Jenn did not appreciate that, and said so in no uncertain terms, addressing me as ‘Old Man!’ I found this fascinating, as I don’t feel like an old man, but I am an old man to Jenn’s generation. I thought, perfect subject for a blog post on motivation.
The Jenn of today would appear as an old lady to the Jenn of yesteryear.
If I think like an old man, I’m an old man. I’ll walk around like one. Be grumpy like one. And die like one. To use the English vernacular, “Bugger that for a lark!” As Jenn made her à propos response, it occurred to me that Jenn is an old woman to young kids, whether she perceives herself that way or not. We are all relatively young or old to anyone outside of our peer group. This fact is one of the challenges of aging. Your peer group will become old and will eventually die, as have a number of my friends, and most of my teachers. How does one stay young at heart under such circumstances!
The answer is simple, DO STUFF THAT YOUNGER PEOPLE DO. Stay young inside, know your limitations to avoid injuries, and live every moment that you can. Oh! Yes! And listen to the advice of your ‘youngers,’ and maybe betters!
Thanks for reminding me to stay young at heart, Jenn! I’m glad I got to know you better, Old Lady!
-k @FitOldDog
Yeh, yeh, I still do not like short shorn hair! (gender not specific)
Hi Trevor, I guess that tolerance is the key, and each generation has it’s preference. I do like my hair short, because I don’t embrace the combover approach to balding. -kevin
I love long hair and lots of it. It must be a bald man thing! Mine, what is left is short, yes, comb overs are real naff!
Tolerancs implies a judgement, “I note the difference and am prepare not to challenge it”! Acceptance seems better to me.
Oh, and how dare some young twerp call you “OLD”!
You gave an honest opinion. She was rude.
Honest opinions are not necessarily socially correct. kevin
And being socially correct is not always honest.
Well, maybe it depends on whether she asked for your opinion.
It sounds like she was fishing for compliments and got upset when you didn’t offer one up. She’ll learn in her old age that fishing for compliments is annoying and childish.
Interesting comment line. A number of things interested me, but I certainly did not feel offended. I found it curious and interesting to elicit such a reaction, which got me wondering about the thoughts of those outside of our peer groups. I had no intention of giving offense, and to take offense would just add to the negative energy, and who needs that. I still prefer women to have long hair, but it is most certainly their choice. This brings up the subject of what we each prefer and why. My liking women to have long hair was probably programmed into my brain by the women I was exposed to in my environment as I approached puberty, or something like that. Interesting journey, life! Can one choose what one prefers? I suspect that you can recondition your brain with a little work, if you so desire, but I don’t plan to take on macaroni-cheese or rock climbing. Thanks for all the comments.