Friday, March 23, 2018
Sometimes folks just don't hear themselves
Had to make a dr's appointment today, only took three tries; the third time I was greeted by a cheery young thing who took my vitals: when I gave her my birth date (9/13/45) there was a short pause and then she said, most firmly, "Nineteen Forty Five, right?"
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I have noticed that 1948 gets me a funny look. It is hell being a dinosaur. I always think to myself....girly someday you will be an old fossil too.
ReplyDeleteThey are always amazed that we can function as real human beings. Or focus.
DeleteHowever, no one expects you to remember things like names, or details, anymore than you do theirs. So it does have an advantage.
Im still trying to figure out what other year she thought I might be...2045? 1845?
I keep reminding myself that these kids have no idea how to spell, add, or do fractions. Makes me feel soooo superior...
Oh, bless her little heart. I remember when I was young and stupid and couldn’t imagine getting old either.
ReplyDeleteI was the baby of the baby in the family, so I grew up with grey hair and 'decreptitude' all around me. I was always amazed when I'd meet my friends' parents, and they were Young People. Maybe 30. Incredible.
DeleteAnd most of these 'kids' have never actually dealt with any adults over, say, 40.
That is so true. My mom was the youngest, and she was 44 when I was born. My brothers were as old as some of my friends' parents! they couldn't understand that these big men were only brothers. And I was astonished to meet mothers with high heels! and makeup! How could they be mothers? they looked like my sisters! thanks for bringing back those memories, had forgotten that.
DeleteToo funny. Mine's 38, and I was firmly corrected recently at the doctor's office by the receptionist who said 58. I explained no, she'd heard right. She looked very dubious as she entered the right year..like, nobody's that old and ambulatory!
ReplyDeleteOh, I hear that, Boud. There is, however, a certain grim satisfaction to proving you really ARE that old and still functioning...
ReplyDeleteThere was a blurb in the local paper some years ago, about starting up a 'senior" center here in town (the polite term for "park the old lady and go shopping"), and I think what killed it was the age limits on it: anyone over the age of 50 was welcome. My husband said, why are you ripping that page up?
At the bottom of the article, the director (who Im sure had wonderful hair and was named Kelly) said, "and we just LOVE our seniors!"
It must be technology - the belief that anything that ''old'' must be powered by new parts.
ReplyDeleteTrue, that. And the other scary bit: anything old is "old" and no longer useful.
DeleteMy husband has a family tractor that his dad bought in 1940; it still runs, and well. He has field stripped it at least twice and did minor repairs as they were needed. And one of the things he knew, as anyone who works on old machinery knows, you need old parts, slightly worn, to make it work again. not shiny bright factory fresh parts. Old machines need something familiar in their restructuring.
I think that might pertai to people, too. We do just fine with older ways, ideas, routes, because they're familiar. Sometimes those older ways work just fine, yessah.
What bothers me about this "our seniors" attitude is the age grouping. Senior now includes anyone from 50 on up. The message that sends to younger people, is that by 50 you are old, worn out, and barely functional. People at 49 actually say, now, "well, next year it's all over for me, I'll officially be an old guy..."
...old, much? Yeah I can dig it.
ReplyDeletehave you noticed that the spam we now get (both in snail mail and online)has been gradually aging, as well? It used to be about vacations and resorts and fun in the sun (yippee skippy like I'm gonna try that, right) and gated communities...now it's about retirement homes, golfing holidays (senior discounts apply), and mortuary plans...Ya t'ink someone is trying to tell us something?
Deletei would have said, "no... twenty forty-five".
ReplyDeleteOh, I thought about it. I had a choice of 1845 and 2045 but my biggest fear would be her actually putting in in my record...
Delete