Definition of Terms

Old. Is that what we are now? If you are someone born in let’s say 1947 to 1953, do you think of yourself as old? We’re talking about 70 and 75 year-olds – the leading edge of the baby boomer generation.

Wouldn’t a 75-year old tell you that old is 90? Works for me. Old is anyone, at any time, who is 15 years older than me. I don’t know what the hell I’ll do if I make it to 90, which is not improbable given that my mother lived to 106.

You could go with mature. That makes you sound level-headed at the very least. Instead of gentle yoga, you could sign up for mature yoga. There’s no fun-loving aspect to it however, and we still just want to have fun.

Deep-rooted could work but there are too many plant and tree connotations. Then there’s that whole dust to dust thing that is just plain depressing. Let’s bury that one.

Ripe sounds great even though it harkens back to puberty. Is there anything wrong with that? We’re lucky if we can even remember puberty never mine relive it as old people. Besides, it was really our awkward phase and there’s no point in repeating that when these days your main goal is not to fall over when you pull on your socks.

Long-standing has a nice ring to it, but as I write this, I’m at one of those stand-up desks and I would really like to lower it about now and take a seat. Being upright for long periods of time is not as much fun as it used to be. But better than perpetually reclined (there’s a great euphemism!).

Antiquated is a non-starter for obvious reasons. At least it’s obvious to anyone who has ever been told that the true definition of an antique is something that is 100 years old or more.

You can cross off ancient on the same grounds. You may feel ancient after sitting cross-legged on the floor for 10 minutes on some project, and then trying to get your limbs to move back into something resembling standing.

Aged is my final shot at a reasonable term for baby boomers who are on their way to 80. Like cheese or fine wine, aged says you’re getting better all the time. Not as limber of body or sharp in brain power, but aging quite nicely, thank you.

Face it. We have more in common with Parmigiano-Reggiano or Gorgonzola. Brie or ricotta are long past in the rear view mirror.

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