Over Sixty ? It's all about you...

A caveat: My understanding applies to most in my culture,but of course not all.

That said,my assertion is based on 40 years of personal and professional experience.

My Monarchical mother provided my first example.One afternoon in her 66th year she announced to me that she would no longer countenance any problems of her children...

I remembered that even at 60,she was very intent on adjusting the world to best enhance my life,and at 63 she continued to make technical adjustments to help me progress...

In retrospect I can sense that she was beginning to assure herself, that I would reflect well on her.And that was my first taste of the " Over Sixty Syndrome".

On the day of her announcement, I really felt a great sense of loss.It was as if my first love had died. Of course as I was wallowing in the self absorption of youth, I soon moved on to more requisite cares...

My fathers thoughts were always arcane to me, but what he didn't say out loud actually shouted feelings I could not hear at that time.

I don't feel comfortable in mentioning other characters in my blood and married family at this time. However just let me say I could cite examples in them.


Let's say you are in your own very busy thirties,or even fourties and while not at work you are subjected to time with someone over Sixty.Don't you usually notice how glad they are to bore you about their life history and accomplishments?

Now if you are a History buff like me it can be okay, otherwise it may be difficult to avoid rudeness.

Somewhere in my third career;As a Psych nurse, I had the lengthy opportunity to work extensively with the Elderly ( Over 60 ).Not all , but most were suffering from mild to severe depression. And of course some were suffering from other basic psychiatric problems.

I found that many of the Elders looked back on their lives with repressed anger stemming from a profound sense of loss.I have perceived that when anger is not expressed out loud, but instead repressed;it leads to Depression.

What were they angry about? Usually it was that they had sacrificed for their family, religion,or society's ideals.They had remained married to a spouse who wasn't worth it, or they had given so much to ungrateful children, and now they were denied what they thought due.

Or they had given their youth to someone who squandered it...They had never travelled further than a hundred miles from their birth place, or the education they would have enjoyed eluded them...

People over 60 years of age who are not depressed,as the rest of their life looms short,feel increasingly important to all of creation. One does not wake up on one's 60th birthday feeling grand.No,the egomania increases exponentially each year after that!Perhaps egomania is too strong a word? Maybe it's more like an ever increasing self centre's.It's kind of like a return to the terrible two's as an adult...

It's not terrible for the Two Year Old and it's not Terrible for the Seventy Two year old. It's just difficult for their loved ones...

Not to worry, at about 91 everyone seems to enjoy a new perspective !

At this time I am wonderful at 67!!!

" Going Forward ..."

In the last month or so, it seems that a new phrase has entered the Weasel vernacular.

It is " Going Forward ".In times gone by, most English language users would say something like " In the future... ";or " The next time this happens... ".

Especially politicians, but also anyone in the public per view,who wants to avoid being pinned down to a certain date,now seem to have found the perfect foil.

Speaking of Television news events brings to mind something that always makes me mentally cringe.

First let me evoke my own past experience as a young person working at a University Hospital in a position of responsibility.

To make a long story short, myriad times I found myself working seriously to try to save patient lives in " Code Blue " situations as a Respiratory Therapist. In the majority of times, we were behind closed doors ( shielded from public eyes ).

The Doctors, Anesthesiologists,Nurses, et Al, did their extreme best to achieve a good outcome for the patient,even when it was really hopeless.

Often times what we did would seem cruel,grossly disgusting, and disrespectful to the patient for the uninitiated...

What it was,was Extremely stressful, weather the patient live or died !
So when the time of death was called, that was the signal for every one to relax!
And in breaking the tension jokes would be cracked, obscene gestures of sorts might happen, people would laugh out loud about what happened in the cafeteria an hour ago and so forth and so on.

Right now I have to state that in 47 years of occasional association with the deceased I personally have shown the corpse great respect, as it is my mind set.

However I believe the dead are no longer persons, but only their remains...

When the local news comes on T.V. at Six O' Clock, and they show scenes of the clean up after a Row House fire in which a woman and two kids died,or the scene of a crime where five people were shot three hours ago,Often times a couple or three Fireman or
Policeman can be seen laughing or talking about God knows what!

I understand, and so don't blame them, albeit many members of the public find it incomprehensible, or even hateful... Some one ought to advise public servants that the cameras are usually rolling when you least expect it!


And Speaking of Video Tapes !

It seems the only reason they have surveillance camera/tapes in stores and parking Lott's et cetera is to catch employees pilfering, or to ward off law suits!

Because when you see the tapes of the worst criminal activity on the news, and they say "Help us catch this heinous pervert! " The pictures are usually so grainy and unclear, that the perpetrators own mother wouldn't recognize them!

Where is the high definition video?!!


Recently my Lovely wife took me to see the Movie " Mama Mia! "

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it!

I just had to put my analytical mind on hold...