What happened to growing old gracefully?

I received quite a shock in the mail last month. The envelope looked governmental, and it was addressed to my full, formal name. I almost threw it away thinking it was another politician begging for my vote. As it turned out, it was my newly printed Medicare card arriving four months before my 65th birthday. Now, I feel pressured to grow old.

AARP started campaigning for my business in my 50th year with a constant bombardment of snail-mail advertisements, special discounts, and a bi-monthly magazine. I resisted the temptation to join but realized that aging is quite a booming business for us 70 million plus Baby Boomers.

Various stores and restaurants began asking if I was a senior citizen. I didn’t think it was worth the discount to admit to it back then. Eventually, these establishments automatically gave me the discount without querying first. I was insulted that they were basically saying I looked old enough to be a senior citizen but saved me cash. It turns out it saves more than I expected.

Whatever happened to growing old gracefully? Cosmetic companies use young, beautiful, wrinkle-free spokespeople who state the obvious; we are all growing older so buy stuff that helps make wrinkles disappear, get our digestive systems regular, and use incontinence pads that are invisibly comfortable. There are reams and serums with or without hyaluronic acid, retinol, Vitamin C, shea butter, aloe, rose water, lavender, and gluten. Okay, maybe not the last ingredient, but I’m having trouble distinguishing ingredients in cosmetics and cooking recipes.

My dermatologist instructed me to stay out of the sun and wear sunscreen with at least 50 SPF. I wish my mom knew about such things when I was a child and we spent most of our summers at the beach and family-vacationing in Florida.

I inherited her love for sunshine and a good tan, until about 18 months ago. Basil Cell Carcinoma began plaguing me and I cannot buy enough sunscreen now to keep it at bay. Lightweight, long sleeve shirts, big floppy hats, and gallons of SPF lotion is my new norm. Even my swimsuit has long sleeves and ultra-violet protection.

After the shock wore off, I proudly signed my red, white, and blue Medicare card and placed it in my wallet. Getting older, losing skin elasticity, and other signs of aging are natural occurrences and as inevitable as death.

I’ve worked my entire adult life to be comfortably retired, healthy and happy in my old age. Now, I’m turning 65, and pray for many more years to continue growing old. It’s not so bad being old, you know. Hopefully, we will get there some day.