“A sense of humor is needed armor. Joy in one’s heart and some laughter on one’s lips is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life.” This quote by journalist Hugh Sidey pretty much sums up the attitudes of the wonderful group of Ewing senior citizens that I met last week. After spending time with them, I have no fear of becoming a golden-ager!
At the request of my Aunt Blanche (who is also my next-door neighbor), I attended this group’s brainstorming meeting to see what it is all about and get some ideas for this article.
What I found was a lively and humorous group of senior citizens who know how to laugh at the process of aging and embrace life to its absolute fullest. They call themselves “The Think Tank!” The attendees that day were Sandi, Blanche, Joan, Lucy, Mary, Rita, Linda, Mike and Joe.
I sat in that room and just soaked up the positive vibes. I swear, these people were younger at heart than I am. Sandi, the group leader, is more energetic than I am, and I’m probably at least 10 years younger than she is!
I should have known that The Think Tank would be like that. Aunt Blanche is in her late 80s (sorry, Aunt Blanche, if I’m giving away secrets), yet she is one of the coolest, hippest (is that even a word these days?) women I know.
Never without lipstick, manicured nails, and perfect hair, she is class personified, with the best sense of humor ever.
We were given a handout, which was a column written by a 90-year-old woman in Cleveland. It was a list of the 45 lessons that life has taught her.
The author introduced it by saying, “To celebrate growing older…” That word “celebrate” resonated with me. THAT’S what this group of seniors are doing every day; celebrating their lives.
Anyway, Sandi read the list to us. One of the lessons was, “Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.”
I have seen this before. Erma Bombeck, one of my favorite humorists and my idol, said something similar. It hit home with me. “Today is special.” So why not use the coffee cups that we bought to match our new kitchen décor, rather than just letting them hang on their decorative hooks?
The discussion turned to forgetfulness. We heard Sandi’s story of losing her dishwashing liquid, Mike misplacing a loaf of bread, and a hilarious story of a car breaking down (due to an empty gas tank) 150 miles from home.
We talked about PSE&G and how annoying telemarketers are. We discussed how telemarketers target seniors and how dangerous that can be. We laughed at aches and pains. We heard from the two gentlemen in attendance, Joe and Mike, who were Trenton firefighters. They told stories about fires they fought and people they knew and worked with.
Sitting in that room for that hour, I learned quite a few lessons. Here they are:
1) “Old” is a dirty word. “Aging” is not.
2) Senior citizens are a lot sharper and way more interesting than some people a lot younger than them.
3) There is no sense in running from aging, because it always wins. And that’s not a bad thing.
4) Laughter smooths the sharp edges of life’s troubles and gets you through the worst times.
5) Don’t sit around and let the dust collect around you. Be pro-active.
6) Be yourself and be proud of it. After all, it’s gotten you this far.
7) Be good to others and it will come back to you full circle.
There’s a quote by Sigmund Z. Engel that pretty much sums up The Think Tank. Even though I dislike the word “old” when referring to people, this quote says it all: “The best tunes are played on the oldest fiddles.” And The Think Tank plays the best tunes I have heard in a long time.
