Senior Denial… What’s That All About?

With four months in my new position as Edward King HouseSenior Center Director under my belt, I am continually flummoxed by the responses of so many of those I meet who greet me with the following statement, “Congratulations on our new position Carm.  The seniors must really enjoy having you on board.”  Let me begin by saying that I pray that these words are indeed true as I am enjoying my new “peeps” very, very much and hope that the feeling is mutual. The confusion lies with the speaker themselves.  Invariably, the people who wish me such enthusiastic congratulations are friends and acquaintances who are seniors themselves or on the cusp of being so. 

Why do they refer to the seniors I serve as “them” or “the seniors” as if referring to a population of newly discovered insects in the Sudan?  Could we be suffering from a case of Senior Denial?

Truth be told, I am rapidly approaching my own “senior-dom” in the coming year. Yes, I created a new word, don’t look it up, I am bent on creating a whole new vocabulary for this wonderful new world I am living in.  Just humor me and go along with it.   

According to AARP, the nation’s largest and most powerful advocacy group for senior issues, the age for folks, like myself, to begin their journey as senior citizens is 50+. 

I will admit, it took me by surprise.  In fact, it down right scared me.  Why? Well, because I interpreted this statement as a death sentence, at the worst, or a one-way ticket to inactivity and isolation, at best.  This is likely the answer to why those who wish me the best seemed so distant when we talked about the possibility of what wearing the label of “senior” might mean to them.

I am here to announce, for the whole world to read, that my initial reaction to realizing my new status in life couldn’t have been farther from reality.  Becoming a “senior” now gives me license to, as AARP has recently penned it, RE-IMAGINE MYSELF.  An action I have already taken by embarking upon this new position in a new industry with a new target population and new rules to follow.

Becoming a senior should no longer invoke, in the minds of any adult, the picture of a gray haired woman or man sitting on the front porch rocking back and forth watching the sun come up and go down every day.  Unless, that is, of course, what that individual planned all along. 

My senior role models exhaust me to think about them.  They have taken the reigns in the second half of their lives and are actively pursuing all they wished to do as they were coming of age but had no time or the courage to do it.  They travel, volunteer, socialize, organize, teach, advocate, eat, drink and are merry.  Many of them before they their actual retirement date.  They re-imagine what their lives could be like when they are at an age when they have seen much, learned much and experienced much. 

It is almost the equivalent to if I knew then what I know now . . .  Well, you do know now and now is here. 

I am here to ask you to stop denying what could be the richest part of your life.  With all that you have been through and all that you know, wouldn't it make sense to put all of that wisdom to good use for yourself and the community around you?

Don’t be afraid to admit it; I promise, it will be okay to say it out loud.  Here, I will start it myself . . . I am about to turn 50 years old.  I am eager to re-imagine what the second part of my life will be like and take steps to enjoy every moment possible.  I am about to become a SENIOR and I am proud!

Now, it yours turn . . . leave the denial behind. The best is yet to come.