Are you old enough to read this column? Yes, and young enough, too

I am hearing from readers that there may be a movement afoot for me to rename my column because being a fan of Senior Moments makes them feel old.

It’s all in perspective, of course.

One reader named Helena (she used an assumed name because she is only 45 years old, rather than 50, which is associated with being – or at least getting – old) confessed sheepishly that my stories resonated with her.

Does that mean, she wanted to know, she is aging too fast?

It was actually Dr. Tim, a psychologist, who suggested the name change for my column.

“It would take the stigma away,” he wrote, “because we live in a youth-oriented age.”

Stigma, wow, right there we differ big time. Forgive me if I view aging as a privilege rather than a problem. I assume he was joking, but it does bring up an interesting point. 

What makes one qualified to be a Senior Moments reader? Is it when you are old enough to apply for an AARP membership?

Or eligible for Social Security benefits? Do you have to be a grandparent​? Live in a retirement home? Play golf? Have gray hair? 

What’s all the fuss about? I don’t feel I have to hide that I read “A Child’s Garden of Verse,” by Robert Louis Stevenson, who, by the way, never asked if I was too old to read it.

Reader Libbey, who did not apologize for being only 32, said simply that she likes the column.  “I don’t think age matters,” she added.

There you have it. Maybe age doesn’t matter. Maybe it’s as simple as going with the flow, a phrase I am using as a nod to my younger readers. At any age, we are all having senior moments because we grow older every day. Life is about how we spend our moments. They are the stories of our lives.

Given that this is my 17th year of writing Senior Moments, and things seem to be going well, I am not inclined to change the name. But I can promise you that, whatever your age, I am honored to have you as a reader. I am happy when anyone wants to read what I write. So even if you prefer to keep mum about reading senior stuff, I am still smiling. Your secret is safe with me.                              

Email patriciabunin@sbcglobal.net. Follow her on Patriciabunin.com