Tony Grist (poliphilo) wrote,
Tony Grist
poliphilo

Becoming An Elder

60 or thereabouts was the age my grandparents had reached when I first became aware of them. Therefore 60, for me, is the age of grand-parenthood- the age that marks one out as a member of the older generation- as an elder. Of course I wasn't seriously expecting to feel different this morning- only that's not wholly true- the part of me that believes in magic was. 

Being an elder means you can start taking liberties- and behave disgracefully and have people make allowances. Being an elder means starting to "wear purple with a red hat that doesn't go" as in the poem by Jenny Joseph 

We have taken a mental drubbing this winter- Ailz and I- what with the workmen bashing the house up and the stairlift breaking down and marooning her upstairs- and it simply being such a hard winter with the snow and the ice and the mist and the rain. We've been talking about how low we both feel.

So, this 60th birthday, I am making this resolution: to snap out of it, pull myself together, get out more, vivre ma vie, wear purple...

But first I'm going to take a little snooze....
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