Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Golden Buckeyes

In Ohio, "Golden Buckeyes" are not graduates of Ohio State University. For that matter, neither are they national champions - unfortunately.
"Golden Buckeyes" are Ohio's "senior citizens." Allegedly. I think the pivotal age for golden-ation is sixty. I say that because I've been informed already that I am about to receive my official "Golden Buckeye" card, the surest indication that the aging process has reached terminal velocity; and that either my home-going or the Rapture is the next major event on my calendar.
Either way, I'm in a peculiar situation. On the one hand, I could have lived a long time happily without receiving a Golden Buckeye card. Come to think of it, I have. And don't get me wrong. I don't have any problem with going to heaven and being with the Lord. It's just that I don't feel the need to hurry along the process any more than absolutely necessary. I still have lots of preaching left in me and plenty of work left to do around the church. I still have grandchildren to watch growing up, and more grandchildren to anticipate. We still have a son left to marry off, and one of my goals in life is to live long enough to reclaim the basement. My wife and I still have a world full of fun stuff to do that we've not yet gotten around to while raising our kids. In other words, I'm too young to be old.
On the other hand, there are some things about receiving the Golden Buckeye card that are, well, cool. In the first place, there are the discounts. Lots of things, especially restaurants, cost less in Ohio with the ol' Buckeye card. Certain tickets to various events cost less. Given that life isn't growing any less expensive, I confess I enjoy getting those discounts. I enjoy them enough that when I am not offered a "senior discount," I feel rather disrespected. Something like I did in high school when the term "Senior" meant rank and superiority. Like when someone would place a sign on a car that read "Contents: 1 Senior or 53 Freshmen." That kind of superiority.
So when I march into the Land of the Golden Arches, I am expecting the lines to part like Moses at the Red Sea the moment I wave my Golden Buckeye card. Then, with the honor accorded someone of my considerable age and accomplishments, I approach the counter while the cashier does obeisance and humbly declares, "Your discount, Sir!"
As you can see, each of these options is attractive, and I'm having difficulty deciding which I like best. You know what my problem is? I'm trying to find a way to be distinguished without being extinguished.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Another Year, Another Decade

Time for the annual insult. In just a few weeks I will hit the big 6-0. Every year about this time, I receive a free membership offer from AARP - the American Association of Retired Persons. The offers began as soon as I turned almost fifty.
There are lots of reasons for me to take membership in AARP as a personal affront. In the first place, I'm not retired. The way our current president is running (or ruining) the country, I may never be able to retire. So the way I see it, I am permanently disqualified from membership in anything that smacks of retirement. Second, AARP is decidedly liberal and I do not care to be associated with a liberal organization. Not content to be merely liberal, AARP has supported such outrageous radicals as Harry Belafonte, whose rants against our nation and conservative values are legendary. Further, AARP has notoriously supported "Obamacare" in spite of the fact that it seriously threatens the health and welfare of nearly every senior citizen in the country in one way or another. Do I really want to support an organization that favors trillion-dollar national debt? That's why this blog has a link to the American Seniors Association - an alternative to AARP. Check it out, especially if you know someone who needs retirement help.
But perhaps the best reason not to belong to anything "Retired" or "old" is that I'm just hitting my stride. My wife and I are not quite ready to take that ride to the rest home. Aside from the wife's hip replacement, our health is fairly good. We may be older, but we feel the same as we did thirty years ago. The church is growing, I have an growing audience for my writing, and the grandkids are only four hours away. Life is better than golden, it's good.
Next month I will join our church young people in an all-night event, and once again outlast the young ones, just to prove I can. Hey, I may even take them on in laser tag, and I can do something about that better than they can. I can shoot and hit a moving target. A lot. So put the rocker back in mothballs boys. The old man still has life.