Even though Favre is only 40 years old, I feel that he's a standard-bearer for old people. In relative terms, he isn't that old - he's 20 years younger than I am - but for his profession, he's ancient. Yet, he's at the top of his game and showing players much younger than he how it's done.
Way to go, Brett!
I mention this because I've been feeling rather old lately, and wondering if maybe I've gone beyond it. There's no question that there's gray on top of my head and I've really resisted dyeing my hair to try to hide my age. I confess I have resorted to trying to whiten my teeth with those stupid little strips; they taste horrible and make my teeth hurt, but I'm persisting. I slather on the moisturizer and still wear makeup. But I refuse to wear pointy spike heels: it's all about the bunions and bad knees. Sure, I have a little crepe under my chin, but I have far fewer wrinkles around my eyes than women 15 years younger.
The biggest eye-opener came a couple of weeks ago when I tried shopping for health insurance. Here's the set-up: My company doesn't offer health insurance, we're too small. The monthly premiums for my dependent coverage on my husband's policy went up dramatically this year, so the benefits administrator suggested an individual policy. After spending two hours filling out an online form, which the damn website lost when I tried to save the first time, I succeeded in completing the application. The initial quote was $385 per month, and then came the phone interviews with the insurance company's nurse. I spent about 45 minutes answering questions about medications and various health situations I'd noted on my form (the dreaded pre-existing conditions!) but all in all, I felt pretty good about it. At age 60, I've only had one operation and that was when I was 26. I have a slipped disk, but I'm managing it with exercise.
Well, we finished up our conversation and a week later there was another nurse who wanted to talk. She seemed to be hung up on a urinary infection I had a couple of years back. Find me a married woman who hasn't had a urinary infection. I explained that I took some antibiotics and it went away. End of story. Not so fast, Clementine. A couple of days later they came back and said they'd give me a policy, but the cost would be almost $800 per month. Too many health issues. My strong impression is that it wasn't too many health issues, it was too many years under my belt!
I don't know how it happened, I went from being too young to be taken seriously to too old to be taken seriously. There didn't seem to be much in-between time for me professionally. And I think I still have a lot to offer. Experience. Wisdom. Flexibility. Good work ethic. Maybe I don't take risks quite as readily and maybe I'm not as tech-savvy as a 25-year-old. Nevertheless, I'm not ready to be put out to pasture.
A lot of people thought it was way past time for that old guy, Brett Favre, to put up his feet and spend the rest of his years telling old war stories. He ain't going for it, and I think I won't either.
This Sunday, I'll be rooting for the Vikings. And for "old" people everywhere.
