Dear Jessica Brennan,
Recently I saw a post on social media that said something like, “I’m tired of the top 30 under 30 and top 40 under 40, show me the top 50 over 50, or the top 60 over 60.”
I stopped and thought. I love to see the top/under articles of young beaming successful people doing well. It is inspiring and gives me this sort of hopeful feeling about the planet, but having said that, I get what the person meant when they made the post.
When I was in my 20s, I knew absolutely everything. I was confident and smart and unstoppable. Stubborn, didn’t even come close. Some kindly called me tenacious, and I can only imagine what others called me.
I’m still pretty stubborn but I don’t know very much for sure, compared to what I knew then. I just now know some things that are actually correct. Back then I was sure about a whole bunch of things that I didn’t have the life experience to even really comment on. It didn’t stop me from being sure (or from commenting). Oh youth.
I like the idea of adding the top/over to the top/under list. I want to hear about people who start running in their 70s or who open a business in their 80s. When you and I Jess, were in San Antonio, remember that woman who owned the jewelry shop in La Villita who retired for about ten minutes and then, totally bored, opened the shop up again? She was well into her 80s. She would definitely be on my top 80 over 80 list.
Here is something that I know for sure. Ageism may end up being the last place we go when we are discussing how to stamp out prejudice. Maybe it should be, I don’t know. But there is a definite slow-fading-to-invisible that happens as people get older, until they are set in a corner with a blanket and expected to be overjoyed with the fact that someone visits them twice a year.
When we are old and have the most life experience is when we tend to be heard the very least. We are expected to sit quietly and gratefully and just observe.
“Old people should be seen and not heard” — (ridiculous)
Dear Jess, I think it is fair to remind you; warn you, often, that while I may not make a top 100 over 100 list, there is absolutely no chance, that as long as these fingers can type, I will be seen and not heard.
Love,
Mum xo
