Dead Wrong

Phoenix, AZ. Recently, on a trip to conduct our Explore Your Future Train the Trainer program in San Francisco and then meet with community leaders in Las Cruces, NM to discuss presenting our “Capturing the Energy and Expertise of People 50+” Learning Lab, I changed planes in Phoenix.

Just enough time to grab a quick lunch. 

I went through the cafeteria-style line, made my selection, and handed the cashier my credit card.  It’s one of those cards they issued years ago that includes your picture.

The twenty-something cashier looked at the photo and commented, “Looks like this is an old picture.”

I told him it was—25 years old, in fact.

Wow, You’re Fifty?

He misuderstood me.  He thought I was saying I was 25 in the picture.

“Wow," he responded incredulously, "That means you're 50!"

“No,” I told him. “The picture is 25 years old.  I was 38 at the time.”

He looked dumbstruck.  So I did the math for him: “I’m 63,” I said. Actually, I’m 62 and a half, but I thought that was a little too subtle a point in light of his shocked state.

“No way,” he said. “Sixty-three is when you need a cane.”

Surely, I thought this fellow must be kidding. Yes, I am aware that some people my age use canes, but then again some people my age—and much older— also jump out of planes.

“You don’t really mean that?” I said.

And he stared back at me with a look that clearly read, “Of course, I do.”

A Whopper

I guess my censoring mechanism must have been on mute—because I automatically shot back:

“Well,” I said, “generally speaking, people 63 don’t need canes.  You’re wrong about that.  Dead wrong.”

He blinked.  And smiled.  The interaction as far as he was concerned was over.

I have encountered all manner of ageism in my travels, but for me this one was a whopper:  the association of 60+ automatically with major physical infirmity.

Clearly, to address that kind of stereotyping, we've got a lot of work to do.