Emily's Senior Moments

The other day I came across a magazine article that advised readers to slow the pace of modern life by handwriting a letter – on stationery – and putting some pretty stamps on the envelope. What a novel idea!   And what a way to make us seniors feel old, telling people how to enjoy an old custom that used to be a common practice.  I started writing letters as a child when my grandfather, a post master in Villisca, Iowa, told me that I had to write letters if I wanted to receive them! I wrote to Gramps, and he wrote back, often enclosing plate blocks of pretty new stamps for my collection.  As a high school student in the 1960s I had a dozen pen pals – several in different states, and others in England, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia. We loved filling each other’s mail boxes with the letters we decorated with a variety of stamps, because stamp collecting was part of the fun of receiving mail. Our letters were handwritten, because very few kids knew how to...

        My brother, Steve, and me dressed for Easter              As we creep slowly into old age it’s sometimes hard to know when we have actually arrived at that “golden” time of life. After all, the definition of “old age” varies, depending on who is defining it. According to Wikipedia, “ Most developed-world countries have accepted the chronological age of 50 years as a definition of 'elderly' or older person. The United Nations has agreed that 65+ years may be usually denoted as old age [9]  and this is the first attempt at an international definition of old age.”             When I saw that my local newspaper, The Daily Star, was seeking a new “Senior Scene” columnist, I asked myself if I’m old enough to take on this post. I will be 65 on my next birthday, so according to most definitions I’ll be a senior soon, if I’m not already. Sometimes it’s ...