Showing posts with label Too young and then too old. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Too young and then too old. Show all posts

Thursday, January 22, 2015

AT ONE TIME YOU ARE TOO YOUNG....AND THEN YOU ARE TOO OLD!!

I can remember in my youth when I was often too young to do some things.

One example is when I was about 14 at swimming lessons down at Mandurah I had passed the exam and received my Bronze Lifesaving Medal.  Later that day the older people were going for their Silver Medal and one young chap didn't have a partner so I was asked to work with him.  I did everything one had to do to earn the Silver but because I was too young the instructor apologised but said I'd have to come back in a couple of years.  I never did as I found other things of interest.

Another example in my youth was you had to be 21 to be served alcohol in an hotel.  I was not a person who drank at that time so it didn't worry me but I knew many young people who broke the law being under age.   I doubt many were asked for proof of age and then years later the drinking age was lowered to 18.   I have never agreed with that decision but I guess you have to move with the times, for better or worse.

We also had to wait to vote until we were 21 and we who belonged to the "Young Libs" would get frustrated as elections came along and we were unable to vote.  That too of course changed, and now young people can vote at age 18.  Sometimes I also wonder if that was a good decision but if you can go away and fight for your country then I guess you should be able to drink and vote when you reach 18.

I am sure there were other occasions when I was too young to do certain things but now I come to being too old.

 I frequently see on TV, especially if I happen to occasionally turn it on during the day, constant advertisements for funeral insurance.  My daughter always says pre-paying for your funeral may be a good idea but what if the funeral home goes broke before you die which I feel is perhaps a good argument for not doing so.  This though is not what I'm thinking about.  Phil and I are TOO OLD to take out funeral insurance!!   Imagine that.   I think you have to be perhaps younger than 74 or in some cases 79 but he and I have obviously gone past our use by dates.  That's so sad.

The other day on Facebook there was a little competition which for a bit of fun I took part in and gave the correct answer.   I then moved on to the next section and found it was a competition being run by Myer.  Having answered correctly I was entitled to leave my name, email address and date of birth.  When I went to do so and scrolled down to my year of birth I WAS TOO OLD.  It only went down to 1934 and I was born in 1932.   Imagine being too old to enter a competition??   Come on Myer that is an insult to the older members of the population.  I thought to complain but then thought "why bother?"

I am sure there are many other things for which Phil and I are too old so does that mean we are now redundant?   Sort of living out here in the wilderness where nobody is interested in us?  Never mind.  We still have each other and I guess, when you think of it, that's all we really need.

So to all you youngsters out there.   Make hay while the sun shines before you are past it.