Golden Years

We like to lump just about everything into categories and that includes people.
Whether it be by sex, race, religion, profession…you name it and we put them into this one large group. Age is no different, especially when it comes to the young and the old as some will say “teen-agers” or “senior citizens” like they are ALL the same and usually do so in the negative.

Yesterday our sister station WOBM-AM (Bob & Marianne ) hosted an expo at the Quality Inn of Toms River which was attended largely by Senior Citizens. By the way for the record a senior citizen is usually someone over the age of 65 although some places refer to 60 as the age at which you become a “senior.” Either way it’s likely that a senior citizen is someone retired or hopefully heading into their “golden years.”

Anyway there were a lot of them in attendance at this event and as I usually do when it’s over I realize that seniors are often as different as night and day. Yes quite a few are thrifty or even cheap which is somewhat understandable because they grew up during the depression era and know what it’s like to get by with little.
Of course many of them (like others of all ages) are struggling to get by each day and regardless of age are worried about what the next day will bring. There are those who complain about everything and even though yesterday’s event was free and featured plenty of giveaways and perks wanted more and were not afraid to tell you that. I learned that saying “while supplies last” means nothing….as a matter of fact I was told that it was our obligation to get more supplies.

However I found just as many who were charming, fun-loving, understanding, appreciative, generous and more. Many asked about my family, saying they have been listening to me for years and have basically watched my children grow up while listening to stories on the radio. They enjoyed the event, were happy if they won something and just plain fun to be around.

Bottom line is that seniors and no different than teen-agers in that the age does not necessarily define them. There are 17-year olds who are very different and it’s the same with 70-year olds. So let’s not put them all into the same category although one thing is for sure….if we live long enough we’ll all be senior citizens one day.