Golden Oldies

I never want to be old and annoying.

Some grown-ups, seniors, elders, pensioners or whatever you want to call them are such irritating and grumpy old farts.

Then again I do find some kids, teenagers, middle-aged people and even my own peers to be annoying at times. I won't even be surprised if people find me slightly irritating but this is mostly when I'm in a lousy mood (which isn't that often) or when I actually find YOU to be irritating BUT god-forbid that I turn out to be a miserable old hag when I get old. A frumpy (hopefully not) wrinkly, grey-haired old lady filled with negativity and prejudice for other happy, free-spirited and probably younger inhabitants of this beautiful world. Please somebody just shoot me if I become THAT person.

Having older parents and by old I mean really old…my dad will be seventy in July, I have come to know and occasionally mingle with a large number of old people.

So I beg to ask the question WHY ARE SOME OF YOU SO DAMN "LASTIG"??

(Lastig - An Afrikaans word that means Difficult, Worrisome, Harassing, Annoying, Difficult and Troublesome).

Sorry oldies but you guys are simply unnecessary sometimes. C'mon lighten up, you were young once. If you keep telling us how to live then how are we suppose to enjoy and really truly experience the magic of life? The ups, the downs, the merry-go-rounds! And the worst part is that we are not going to listen to you anyway so save your breathe and rather go sip a cup of tea and listen to community radio or whatever things you old people enjoy doing.

The problem with old people is:   

1 . You can't tell the elderly anything.
Being a few decades old automatically makes you the most knowledgeable human being ever? I do know that with age comes wisdom but it really depends on how you have grown-up, the experiences you have had and how much you opened yourself up to study and learning. Being old does not equate to being all-knowing. Every so often we actually do know more than you simply because we took the time to investigate and get the facts from different sources.

As we grow older, we must discipline ourselves to continue
expanding, broadening, learning,
keeping out minds active and open... 
  

 2. Old people and cars are a lethal combination.
I don't know what the roads were like back in 1942 but these days there's a fast lane and a slow lane. There are 3 mirrors to check what's happening on the left, right and the back. Cars also have all sorts of gadgets like INDICATORS and most of them can even go over 100km/h. It is most annoying being stuck in the fast lane behind captain slow which could actually very well turn out to be my own dad hehehehe , sorry Dad but you are guilty of this too old man!

The elderly don't drive that badly;
they're just the only ones with time to do the speed limit. 
~Jason Love  

3. Old people are always on the lookout for some misdemeanor to bring to the attention of the authorities. 

I have a neighbor in mind as I write this. I can actually picture him peering over the wall to see what's happening and preparing to shout at someone. In reality, perhaps this really isn't such a bad trait. At least now that I am grown up I can appreciate it. Living in our own home it provides some peace of mind knowing we have old retired neighbors always keeping an eye out when we're away at work or on holiday. However as kids it wasn't fun to have Aunty-Old-Lady telling your mom about whatever trivial thing you did while playing outside, in the park or wherever. Kids will be kids. Let them be…

4. The elderly are rude.

No seriously, they can be really rude and so damn cranky nearly all the time. Giving you a nickname, a stupid and really crap one when all they could've done is just ask you "what is your name" and at least make some attempt at remembering it. How does it make you feel to be called "kleintjie", "koos", "keppies", "meisie" or something even more disrespectful? And what's worse is that some old people do it on purpose probably to display their superiority and authority.

The way I see it, old people can be great IF THEY REALLY WANT TO BE. It's the attitude of old folks and the desire to be awe-inspiring that makes you awesome. I love speaking to them and hearing all their stories but those wretched few we come across from time to time can really be comical and sad at the same time. In life, there's always a story behind everything so I guess if we just take the time to get know each other perhaps the respect and admiration from both sides will emerge.

 

When it comes to staying young,
a mind-lift beats a face-lift any day. 
~Marty Bucella