By Lee Scott
I am old and there are many reasons why I know that I am old.
First and foremost, I am old because I qualify for all those senior discounts and the sales clerks do not even ask me if I qualify.
Of course, age is relative, so some older people might consider me young. However, I am over three score and I even know what “score” means.
It appears that there are other obvious signs of my age. I own a telephone book. Not only do I own one, I use it. I mark the pages of my doctor and dentist and the dog’s groomer. I also own a non-electronic rolodex. When service people come to the house, like a plumber or an electrician, I file their business cards so I can have them for future use.
Oh, there are so many other things I do that reveal my age.
I have the habit of closing my iPad when company comes to my house so we can visit together. I do not have a cell phone sitting at my dinner table; humans only. I do not feel obligated to answer my phone when it rings. I enjoy conversation. I want to know what people are reading, what movies they have seen, and where they have traveled.
Another sign of my age is that I do not discuss politics with friends and family. At this point in my life, why bother? I am not going to change my mind.
I used to read the Dick Tracy comics, but I do not own a device like he wore on his wrist; the watch, computer and phone all in one. I do not track how many steps I walk, but instead, I just walk every day. I have an address book. This helps especially at Christmas when I send out Christmas cards. The book contains a spot for me to track who I sent a card to and who sent one to me. I also write thank you cards in cursive and mail them.
Now, I have been informed by younger people, there is another age identifier: my email account. It ends in aol.com. I have had it since the mid-1990s. There are many jokes on the Internet about “old” people with their AOL accounts. They are about me.
There are many advantages of being old. I have no problem walking into a library and finding a book using the Dewey Decimal System. I can drive a stick shift car and navigate using a map. I know how to spell words without auto-correct and I use a dictionary.
Yes, I am old, but best of all, I am here and I can entertain myself.
