AGE ENTITLEMENT

 There's a certain sense of entitlement that comes with aging...and it comes in various levels, increments of good and evil. For instance, some seniors feel entitled to be rude, even hurtful by saying or doing whatever they wish. I'd rather focus on positive entitlement like my friend Linda shared with me.

There are times when advanced age gives one a ticket to outrageous behavior, or so my aging brain likes to think. Maybe I feel my agedness gives me an excuse to do something in us that feels we're disappearing, being forgotten, not being seen?

The name tag on the saleswoman checking me out at a store recently read Adeline. I asked if she knew the song with her name in the title. She'd been told about the song but never heard it. She blushed as I sang Sweet Adeline to her in its entirety.Applause and laughter throughout the store followed, and from the rear a lovely true tenor voice lifted to sing the song again. I hope everyone in the store enjoyed the sing-a-long. As I drove away I thought about how embarrassed my children would have been had any of them accompanied me shopping. I laughed and sang some more. It felt good. What fun.

Entitlement often equals happiness.

So let me tell you about my entitlement today.  I enjoy writing. I've been doing it since I first picked up a pencil. I write for the love of words, for creating stories and for my peace of mind. I think if I didn't write they would have to lock me up somewhere and throw away the key. Writing is the most inexpensive form of therapy available in this modern, shrink-wrapped world.

When I was employed to write - just about all of my adult life - I was well disciplined and wrote whether or not I was in the mood, with or without a muse over my shoulder. Now old and ostensibly retired I only feel moved to write when the mood strikes me. After all those years I feel entitled. I immediately write "The End" for a family vacation, a cruise with friends, or a great football game.

How to you feel entitled? When do you play the entitlement card?