When You Are Old

A Response To The Great WB Yeats And All That See Getting Older As The End Of Things

By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred Published 4 months ago • 2 min read

WB Yeats

Introduction

Many people see getting older as something to be frightened of and even despise. I remember when I was forty being turned down for jobs because of ageism and pushed out of social groups because of my age.

Many years ago I walked with this old guy on my morning travels. I thought he must have been about ten or fifteen years older than me, but then he told me he was born in 1967, ten years after me.

Old people are often portrayed as grey-haired, sitting in a chair by the fire often doing nothing. That is not the case for many people. In Thirsk, I saw a couple of guys riding their bikes. In their conversation, one mentioned his age, ninety-five. When coming down a one-in-five gradient from Scaleber Fosse in Settle, two guys older than me were biking up it.

When I was a kid I thought sixteen was old. Then twenty, thirty, and after that I didn't bother. My dad would not let anyone mention it when he turned fifty, he is ninety next year and doing fine.

We all believe we can live forever but also we know that is highly unlikely, but one of the ways we can create our own immortality is by making art that lasts, and mine is writing like this.

I wrote this piece on the subject as well, if you are interested in my attitude. When someone complains about getting older I tell them that I am not too keen on the alternative.

The music is "I Don't Want to Grow Up" by Tom Waits, that does sum up my attitude

When You Are Old

🌜🌕🌟🕒⌛🕰️⌛⏰🌟🌕🌛
I See Every Birthday As A Win
And You Know That We Get One Each Year
As For Getting Older, Count Me In
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Moving Forward, I Know Where I've Been
The Future's Something We Shouldn't Fear
I See Every Birthday As A Win
⌛🕰️⌛
Some Days I'm Good And Some Days I Sin
I Will Always Keep My Life In Gear
As For Getting Older, Count Me In
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I'm Lucky, Got Some Amazing Friends
They're There For Me Year After Year
I See Every Birthday As A Win
⌛🕰️⌛
Life's An Adventure, Gotta Jump In
Take One More Road And Never You Fear
As For Getting Older, Count Me In
⌛🕰️⌛
When You Finish One Thing, Start Again
Go On Your Way, Smiling Ear To Ear
I See Every Birthday As A Win
As For Getting Older, Count Me In
🌜🌕🌟🕒⌛🕰️⌛⏰🌟🌕🌛