Young guys look at old coots like me, and say, \u201cOh boy, look at that old guy; he’s just not with it, can\u2019t do stuff, walks funny. Never going to happen to me!\u201d <\/p>\n
They think it\u2019s bad to be old, but it\u2019s not. There are a lot of advantages to being an old coot.<\/p>\n
We have a built in excuse for a lot of unpleasant things. We don\u2019t have to help someone move to a new house or apartment. Or, to lift heavy objects, like the other day in the Owego Kitchen. Ike needed help unloading a huge cooler from a pick-up truck and moving it inside; a very heavy and awkward item to handle. He didn\u2019t even consider asking me. The \u201cyoung\u201d guys got the privilege while Lester (Ike\u2019s father) and I watched. <\/p>\n
I’m glad I’m too old to cave dive, or run a marathon, walk a tightrope, scale a cliff, and a whole slew of other \u201cfeats of strength.\u201d People even open doors for me, wave me ahead of them in line, and help me carry groceries to my car. I don’t have to worry about getting old, I\u2019m already there, and an expert on managing life in an old body. <\/span><\/p>\n But, the nicest things about being old, is you don’t have to be politically correct about what you say. You can be frank. Something the younger crowd can\u2019t do, not without being called a bully, or being obliterated by social media. <\/span><\/p>\n We can say, \u201cYou need to fix your breath; it stinks.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n