Age is just a number - Really?

Dear fellow steemians,

today, I would like to share some thoughts about aging with you. No, I don't want to get sentimental and I am not fishing for compliments, either. This is just some experience I made and these are conclusions I have drawn, now, that I stepped over the magic threshold "50". I am still young in my mind - is there a certain state of mind people in their fifties have to take up? I have always asked myself that question and still haven't found an answer to that. Because I still am who I am and my attitude hasn't changed over night just because I am 50+ now.

People always think I am younger than I actually am, which is flattering, of course. Yes, I have developed some wrinkles over the years but, honestly, they don't bother me too much because I believe that every wrinkle tells a story - and I've been through quite a lot in life. I also have quite a few gray strands and they do bother me, I must admit. So I color my hair. But then again, many people do, also the younger ones. I personally think I am still 25 in my min. I still like to go out, I still like to dance and, believe it or not, I like rap and hip hop music. I shazam a lot of the stuff my 20-year old son plays and add it to my playlist. But that's where my problems start - and the struggle is real, as my kids like to say, lol. Because there is no place someone like me (old according to my date of birth but young at heart and mind) can go to dance. Sometimes, I envy my kids when I see them getting ready to go to the club. And when I say, "I would like to go there, too, some time", they just give me a sympathetic shrug and say "Sorry, Mom, but you're too old to get in there." Why? I mean, I can only talk about the German club scene and the Munich club scene in particular but I seriously doubt it is different in other places. Yes, I had my days and I did go out but I still like to go out now and not to those "40+ parties". I don't like to be labeled, I imagine a club scene for all generations, where the "old ones" don't get strange looks. I've always dreamed about establishing a club like that, maybe I will one day. :))

Professional life is another field where age does matter. It is a fact that people in their forties start getting problems applying for jobs, not to mention people in their fifties. This is something I don't understand. These people have a lot to give, a lot of professional and life experience they could share with the younger ones. Thanks to the benefits of modern civilization, people get older and many of them are still physically and mentally fit. And they like to contribute to society. There is also the problem with retirement. And again, I am particularly referring to Germany. Many years ago, women could retire at the age of 60, men at 65. Now, there is no more difference between men and women. Retirement date has been raised to 65 and even 67. Where are these people supposed to work? Not everybody is fortunate enough to be self-employed like me. I personally have a lot of interests and apart from my career as an author and translator, I have always done a little acting on the side but as I grow older, I notice the bookings become rare. My agent just told be bluntly "It's a fact that people in their fifties don't get so many bookings anymore." Bam...ok. And I know this is not only the case in Germany but worldwide. And again, I wonder why? It' s a natural fact that people grow older, everybody does. So why not in the movie business?

Back in the 1960s, when I was a kid, people in their fifties were in fact old. They dressed in an old-fashioned way and their mindset was old-fashioned, too. Thank God, this is different today. People in their fifties are still young and can still do and achieve a lot. Also people in their sixties and, to a certain extent, even in their seventies and eighties. Times have changed. And I wish society would change its mindset, too. I have many interests and still many ideas about what I would like to do. On a bad day, I catch myself thinking "Hey, you're too old for this". Thank God, I don't think that way too often. Usually, I am very optimistic and have a positive mindset. And I don't want to be pulled down by negative thoughts. Because after all, you are as young as you feel and when you are young in your mind and still curious about life, then it is true: Age is just a number!