Signs of Growing Old

It is official, I am now old. It became apparent when, sitting in front of the television at my daughters house in Texas that I discovered that I had crossed over into AARP Land……As I sat there and watched my family entertain themselves with RockBand, singing away to Lady GaGa and dancing to Just Dance with the WiiI, I asked myself, “what is going on?” I kept waiting for the song selections to sing along with or the dance tunes to dance to, to give me options of Barry Manilow, Frank Sinantra or even the Beetles, when all I could find were selections from The Black Eyed Peas, the Cranberries, Pink or Beastie Boys…..when did Black Eyed Peas or Cranberries go from a food group to a rock band? When did Pink suddenly go from a color to a rapper. In my day, the Beastie Boys belonged to a horror film which we were told as kids, to never watch or we would begin to grow fangs instead of teeth.

As I sat there trying to not feel 80, the kids (in their 30’s) switched over to Just Dance, which shows you how to learn the moves of the modern types of dance. They urged me to get up and try just one dance. I relunctanly agreed, not knowing that my son iin law was behind Jodi and I with a movie camera. While raising my arms above my head, the bursitis in my arms let me know immediately that this dance was not for me. When they began to jump with the “computerized people” on the screen, I tried to jump, right along with them, thinking, “oh my, I can at least do this”. But the “extra” skin around my neck and tummy area began to shake in such a way that I felt I might actually be lifted up off the floor. When my foot slipped and I turned my ankle, while doing the “kick, stretch, kick, stretch” I immediately remembered that I was raised a Baptist girl and for a great reason, I could never dance. Being Baptist always gave me a great reason not to get out on the dance floor. I could just sit there and act “smug” saying to anyone who might approach me, “thank you for asking, but I’m Baptist and I don’t dance”. That way, I never had to actually get out on the dance floor and make a complete idiot out of myself. At this point, I faked a fainting spell, told them I must sit down and counted the minutes to when I could go back to my room (yes, they have me a room which I am only allowed to come out of at certain hours,ha) and use my IPOD (see, I am a little “modern”) and fall asleep listening to Love Me Tender, by Elvis or Barry’s, “I Write the Songs”…….great music to grow old with……., gotta go, it’s time for Wheel of Fortune!