Who's Old

Feeling old? Looking old? Having a great old time? What do you consider old anyway? 60? 65? 70? 75?

When boomers are surveyed about aging, they tend to define it in terms of 3 key markers: inability to perform certain functions like they used to; not understanding topical pop-culture references (Lil Nas X anyone? Anyone?); and last but not least, cosmetic decay (which is a not so nice reference to wrinkles, gray hair, lost hair, etc.).

Sixty per cent of those surveyed thought that having to ask someone to read the fine print was a definite sign they were getting old. Grunting while trying to get out of a seat hit a chord with 37 per cent. Twenty-four per cent thought they were old because they were not on TikTok. That last one is laughable. Knowing that TikTok exists but not wanting to waste your time on it should not qualify you as over the hill. And you can throw Facebook in that category as well.

Forty-seven per cent were uncomfortable being identified as old and offended when being called old. Many of these same people are ignoring worsening medical issues just so they won’t feel like they are old. They are hoping, no, actually convinced that the signs will disappear. Talk about De Nile!

So, you want to feel younger? Experts have some simple advice. So simple, a lot of boomers won’t bother to follow it, but here goes:

• Reduce stress
• Improve your diet
• Exercise regularly

You follow these 3 tips and you can shave 10 years off your biological age according to the experts. Ten years! Such a deal! You feel better, eat better, and look better, and in return you live longer.

Take it! This offer won’t last long!

Jay Harrison is a writer and creative consultant for DesignConcept. His mystery novel, Head Above Water, is available on Amazon and Kindle. You can also visit his author page here.

• Listen Up

  

• Savages

• 
  

• Who’s Old

  

Listen Up!

Rock, Folk, Classical, Jazz, Latin. R&B, World Music, Blues, Soul, Reggae, Country, Comedy, Gospel, Soundtracks, Spoken Word.

Does the list strike a chord? Pardon the pun, but if the answer is yes, you must have been a record store habitué. Maybe the record store you frequented had a booth where someone was playing records on a turntable. If you wanted to sample a track of a new album, they would go in the booth and play it for you. Now it’s easier to go to the Browse section of Apple Music in order to make music buying decisions.

The tactile sensation of flipping through the stacks of record albums is hard to duplicate on a computer, however. No one pays much attention to the art on the front of a CD jewel case – we just download and play. In the record store, you might find yourself buying an album because of the art on the front or the liner notes on the back.

Then too, there was the chance to share your discoveries with friends. Hanging at the record store was something you could do as a group. One of you was into Folk, someone else only liked Soul music, and there had to be someone who went nuts for Comedy records.

Vinyl is making a determined comeback. People are buying turntables again and music aficionados are extolling their virtues. More dynamic sound quality is a big reason and vinyl fans will swear that it’s significantly better than an MP3. Some vinyl fans just want to “own” a physical form of their favorite music and have the pleasure of inviting friends over to “really hear” the newest album of their favorite band/orchestra.

It’s one of those rare occasions when there’s an appreciation for what many considered dead and gone. Vinyl record sales actually overtook CD sales in 2020. Streaming services now dominate the music scene and are the listening option of choice for most people, but the vinyl diehards are not going away. Rock on!

Jay Harrison is a writer and creative consultant for DesignConcept. His mystery novel, Head Above Water, is available on Amazon and Kindle. You can also visit his author page here.