I’m just wondering.
I remember finishing high school with honors, being first in my class in business school, and graduating college Summa Cum Laude.
I didn’t see it then.
I got married, had a daughter, was a stay-at-home mom, PTA volunteer, Campfire leader, and then returned to the workforce working my way up the corporate ladder to become the first female executive for the publicly traded company I was employed by.
It really wasn’t there then.
After retiring early, we made a cross-country move and I went to work for county government, which was followed quickly by a second move taking us from the west side of the state to the east side and a new job at a private university.
No one mentioned it being there then.
A few years later, I retired for real, took the UNH Master Gardener course and now enjoy spending time with my grandchildren, gardening, farming, sewing, quilting, camping, photography, and blogging.
Did it happen then?
I don’t know, but it must be quite visible because I find people now talking to me like I’m an idiot just because according to statistics I’m classified as a senior citizen.
Please – stop trying to send me something for free in case I fall and can’t get up, don’t tell me I won a drawing and just need to give you my banking info, forget emailing me that you’re a relative stranded in a foreign country and need money, and for heavens sake every time it snows in New England don’t call and tell me I’ve won a Florida vacation.
The fact is that after living to this apparently advanced age and working many years as the Executive Vice President of Human Resources for thousands of employees, I’ve been lied to by experts from all walks of life.
NewEnglandGardenAndThread 
I’m with you on this one…I am 64 feel 30 and I hate being called ‘My Dear or Love ‘….I have a name and if they don’t know it in a store it would be nice to be called ‘Madam’ like anyone else under 60. Rant over…x
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Amen.
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Well said. I actually think that we reach a point (say, mid-50s) when we not only have ‘stupid’ written on our forehead, but most of the time we are just plain invisible. There are times when we have to use age to our advantage…if I can ever think of when that might be, I’ll let you know. 😉
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That’s the right word – invisible. Sad but true. The only time it is to my advantage is when the local fabric store gives a discount. 🙂
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Girlfriend…you just nailed it on the head.
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I’m not big into rants but every once in a while there are things that need to be said. 🙂
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Well, if someone with your stellar credentials is treated that way – imagine how it is for the rest of us! You are so correct! We get a monthly postcard offering a free hearing test with discount for an aid if purchased at time of appointment. We get offers for cruise vacations, Medicare supplement insurance and estate planning sessions. Don’t need ’em. Don’t want ’em!
I do relish though, occasionally, playing the “ditzy grandma card.” “Oh, that coupon was expired? I have a hard time seeing the tiny print so I am going to thank you for letting me use it anyway!” Ha! Who’s going to argue with a “little old lady” when it’s uncertain whether or not the cat food in my cart is for my own dinner! Now that part I love…and I outsmart ’em every single time!
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I forgot all the junk mail – thank you for mentioning it. And, OMG I laughed so hard at the cat food that I almost hurt myself.
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I’m with you 100Percent!
You know what bothers me MORE though? when people my age (57) and older act like technology is beyond their comprehension level! I hear this
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oops! continuing……
I hear this all the time in some of the circles in which I volunteer, people who give a little giddy laugh and a wave of the hand and say “Oh i can’t learn these new machines…..or “what’s a smartphone?”
Seriously, I want to ask why they aren’t either embarrassed or worse, ASHAMED to suddenly be so dumb! I can’t even relate to their thinking!
Sorry for the rant, but this is one of my pet peeves about my peer group!
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I have a lot of friends who can barely open an email and give the same reasons. I always wonder how they look things up in this digital age. Do they still go to the reference room at the library? I’m not sure I could get through a day without Googling something and for heavens sakes I couldn’t read what all my blogging friends are up to. 🙂
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If that app doesn’t exist, it should.
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Tell us how you REALLY feel,lol…..:)
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I know exactly where you are coming from. Jude and I are both over 60 but only by a few years and I am also disabled so need crutches or occasionally a wheelchair. People ignore me completely as they think I am deaf blind and totally ignorant . People even ask Jude what I want as they believe I cannot answer for myself! In France people treated me like an alien. My answer is just to tell yourself you are the sane one and everyone else has the problems. Malc
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Bravo!!
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Oh what a wonderful rant and so many wonderful comments!
I am a hater of the junk mail. I don’t need a scooter, I am capable of walking on my own. I don’t need to make cremation arrangements or to purchase a casket. I don’t need a walk-in bathtub or hearing aid. I know that at 64 I am lucky to be in such great health but I feel like they are the vultures lurking out there just waiting for me to fall and break something.
Also in complete agreement that those people from our age group who seem to enjoy being technically inept just baffle the heck out of me and they do make the rest of us look bad! Great rant!
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I’m 55 and sympathize. I suspect that men usually start getting this treatment later in life than women do.
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Hi, I am 65 years of age and I feel so younger, Like you all I garden and save all the bounty of food for winter. I must sit on internet every day and google. I do everything like you all and am enjoying myself. Best wishes to everyone.
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The other day I received a postcard from The Neptune Society offering “free prepaid cremation”. A friend commented that I should ask them if I could save money if I did the cremation early :s
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OMG thank you for that chuckle. It seems to never end and more companies just join the bandwagon. There is no doubt we need to maintain our sense of humor as we age. 🙂
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Just popped over from Lorri’s blog to have a look. My goodness, what wonderful photos, but how cold. No wonder you quilt – it looks like quilts would be very useful. I am in Devon, southern UK – here it is just wet!
Keep warm and happy quilting
Hilary Florence
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