A surprising fete by a Baby Boomer!
Last week, a 55-year old woman who was participating in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Ft. Lauderdale, FL amazed everyone, everywhere, when she became stuck on a drawbridge and hung on – standing up, spreading her hands and feet on parts of the bridge – for approximately a half hour until emergency crews were able to lift her to safety.
However, no one was as amazed as a local reporter, a woman in her early 30’s, who couldn’t believe her eyes; couldn’t believe the sight she was seeing; couldn’t imagine that someone of this participant’s age group could possibly succeed at this perilous fete.
What am I getting at? I wish I could find the news link again so that you could hear how incredulous this reporter was that someone 55-years old could possibly stand there that long. The emphasis of her report was on the woman’s age as the shocking detail – not that just about anyone hanging onto a drawbridge in the “Jesus Christ” position (as it was later described by those witnessing the fete) would have difficulty holding on for dear life while awaiting rescue.
Is 55-years old elderly? Is 55 the new 90?
Am I overreacting? I’m 60-years old and I’m far from elderly, but imagine the shock of the aforementioned reporter if someone of my age was the one hanging on the bridge. That reporter would certainly hustle to get that 60-year old’s autograph, just so she could remember the amazing and surprising fete the ol’ gal had accomplished.
Okay, I’m done now; I’ll get off my soap box if someone would be kind enough to help me down.
Living: the ultimate team sport 
October 23, 2013 at 11:20 am
When I was in the age range of the reporter for this story I THOUGHT I knew a thing or two about everything. I worked with people then in their 50’s and thought them to be almost ancient. Now at 62, I realize that really I knew nothing about nothing then. And so the cycle seems to just continue. When she’s 55, she may realize how off her perspective was.
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October 15, 2013 at 4:17 pm
[…] doesn’t mean that nothing remains for us in the years ahead. In my recent blog article, A surprising fete by a Baby Boomer! I complained about a Florida reporter’s characterization of something that a 55-year old […]
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