The Soft Bigotry of Age Brackets
Age gives one a good, heavy rind. A durable crust that preserves the psyche and reduces the faint sting of left-handed compliments and micro-aggressions. Pride is still there, but it’s tempered by the knowledge that you do have limits. And failures. But still, repeated slights—no matter how subtle—get under the husk from time to time....
A mid-season reminder that (some) seniors ski free (or cheap) in (some) places
Ski resorts are expensive to operate. Leases, insurance, lift maintenance, lift-operator maintenance, those groomers high up on the mountain with their lonely headlights casting shadows across steep runs as you stumble back from dinner and drinks. When you factor in all that’s required to keep everyone safe and happy, those shockingly dear lift tickets are...
Skiing. Still cool?
Some decades ago, a well-meaning mentor advised me to give my kids skiing lessons. “As they get older, they won’t want to hang out with you. But if you say you’re going on a family ski trip, they’ll be all in.” It worked out for my wife and me, sort of, especially when they were...
Amazon wants your money, oldster
Jeff Bezos has built Amazon, the web’s premier online retailer. He’s recovered Apollo engines from the bottom of the ocean. He’s building a spaceship. And now, because he’s a man who loves a challenge, he’s setting up an on-line store for seniors. The problem with this business model should be obvious: Current Amazon...
Did Fauja Singh just taunt India’s PM?
Fauja Singh, the world’s only 101-year-old marathoner, has said he’ll hang up his sneakers next month. At this point, some men might start organizing their ribbons and trophies, or writing notes to supporters, or staring out over a brightly lit city from a high balcony. Reflecting. Or, like Singh, they might use that last month...
A tip sheet for hitting 100
Aging is like sex and home maintenance: done well, it’s a source of pride and satisfaction. Done poorly, it’s a nightmare. Thankfully, there isn’t one secret to doing it well. You can figure out how to excel at this in your own way. But you can also learn by listening to others who have been...
Mayo Clinic looking at what keeps you really alive
Over the past three years, the renowned Mayo Clinic has been building “one of the largest aging centers in the nation,” according to the Minneapolis StarTribune, with “48 geriatricians, 10 geriatric psychiatrists and research supported by 90 federal or private foundation grants.” And they’ve put all that money to good use,...
Breaking: Old age not a cakewalk, according to NPR, Harvard and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
This just in: a new study commissioned by National Public Radio, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health has discovered that for “one in four retirees,” life after retirement is worse than the 5 years before retirement. There’s a lot more to...
The Silent Generation? Really?
The Pew Center is doing interesting work on how people use the internet. Did you know that the thing people do the most online is search, and second most is get health information? At every age. So teenagers and olds are all preoccupied with their bodies and how they are...
