Am I old yet?

Third birthday party As I approach my 65 th birthday , the concept of age hits a little different this year because of all those pesky Medicare solicitations that hit my mailbox daily. But, as one who always loves a birthday, I wasn’t really thinking of 65 as old until I heard a news story on the radio that described someone as “an elderly woman in her early ‘60s.” Hmm . . . definitely don’t think I’m ready for that descriptor. When I was a child, my definition of old was my parents and their friends. Anyone who had kids, went to work, drove a station wagon or kept a weekly beauty parlor appointment was old. I always assumed that when you "got old," you always wore pantyhose, never slept late and got your hair done once a week. I grew up with a frame of reference about age that revolved primarily around grade levels and ages of siblings. I went to the same relatively small school from seventh until twelfth grade. The caste system was strict among age groups and grad...