Old in years but so young at heart
THANKS be to William Wordsworth. He was spot on with “the child is father of the man”. If you doubt the presence of the inner child even in the most obviously ancient bodies, simply revel in President Biden’s reaction to meeting the Queen. The man is no spring chicken. He’s 78, for goodness sake. Yet what did he say? That Her Majesty reminds him of his late mother Jean, who died in 2010 aged 92.
In other words, in the presence of royalty this near-octogenarian was rendered a little boy in short trousers. Instead of attending a meeting of heads of state as the leader of the Western world, he looked at the sovereign and thought: “Mummy!”
Getting older is changing. CarolVorderman, an exuberant straight shooter states “60 is the new 20!” After a trying lockdown, Carol is now fighting fit, raring to go and emphatically refusing to be pigeonholed by anything as conventional as the passing decades. She craves less work and more play and knowing her as we do, we’re pretty damn certain she’ll put the “Aaah!” into R & R.
Of course, Carol is an inspiration, but I wonder if she’s truly an exception? Most of us experience “impostor syndrome”, including outwardly confident Michelle Obama. It’s just another way of confirming that even the most seasoned among us quakes like a fifth-former about to be publicly rumbled when she hasn’t learned her Latin verbs.
BUT the more antique I become the more convinced I am that behind the wrinkles, spare tyres, worries and woes, we vintage folk are simply a troupe of hormonal 14-year-olds aching to be unleashed. Inside we are still our “real” selves. We still want everything we thought we desired in our teens. We yearn for true love, live music, spectacular sex, job fulfilment, the respect of our peers, a perfect little black dress, and adventure and excitement.
In my misspent youth I believed old people were a different species: content to cultivate marrows, inspect surfaces for dust and knead dough. Now I realise “they” are “us”, they’re people who’ve just been around a bit longer.
Let’s stop being surprised.Yes, older people behave abominably, flout restrictions, air their dirty linen and seek attention.Yes, senior citizens can be flawed, thrusting and woefully immature.We are also occasionally delightful. Just like you. Get used to it.