When I turned 50 last year, it took months of consoling myself that according to popular opinion, “50 is the new 30” and “60 is the new 40”. It was only after admiring photos of Michelle Yeoh, Jennifer Lopez and Cate Blanchett that I have finally come to terms with being middle-aged.
Now, it feels like the “50 and fabulous” label I’ve applied to my ageing psyche has been prematurely replaced with “soon-to-be senior citizen”, though I am 14 years away from being 65.
Being called a young senior smarts more than receiving that letter, shy of my 40th birthday, informing me I was enrolled in ElderShield. At 39, old age seemed too distant to contemplate.
CALM WORDS OF WISDOM FROM OTHER “YOUNG SENIORS”
It appears that my sentiments are not widely shared. I messaged a group of friends, comprising four 50-year-olds and one 51-year-old, to ask how they felt about being “young seniors”. None of them were fussed.
“I really don’t care about such labels, just give me senior discounts can?” one friend quipped.
Another commented, “I can’t stop people from using whatever term they like, but I can control how I react or respond. If my blood pressure shoots up, I’m the one suffering its effects.”
One friend added that she appreciates Singapore paying attention to ageing-related issues now, in preparing for its transition into a super-aged society.
I thanked my girlfriends for their calm words of wisdom, and wondered if I was the only petty, neurotic 50-something in town.