Don’t Call Me A Senior!

We are roughly one month away from the end of the year – another year flying by way too quickly.  And, as it turns out, my birthday (Valentine’s Day which falls on the second holiday of the New year) is quickly approaching.  So I will turn 64 years old on February 14th, 2026 God willing.  Which brings me to my dilemma.  I don’t consider myself a Senior Citizen.  And I say it with a straight face (smile).

 

 

Technically speaking  I am not yet a Senior Citizen since the state of Connecticut defines a Senior Citizen as a state resident who is 65 years or older in terms of program eligibility like Social Security, Property Tax Relief, Medicare and other state aid.

 

 

There are, however, some programs and/or services in the state of Connecticut which consider 55 as the starting age.  As a matter of fact 13 years ago when I turned 50, AARP had the nerve to send me an unsolicited membership card!   I tossed it in the trash (smile).  Clearly they had confused me with my next door neighbor who, at that time in my life, was most certainly a Senior Citizen (smile).

 

 

Another thing.   My name Le Jeune means ‘The Young’ in French so that might have something to do with my age obsession (smile).   True story:  While reading Jet magazine, my late mother Jean found my name attached to a very popular African American model who had just won an award in Cannes, France.  The model’s name was Le Jeune Hundley and, as it turned out, she traveled to France because it was easier for a black woman from the United States to find modeling work in France then it was in the U.S.  At any rate my mother loved the name, but changed the first E to an A, dropped the capital in J, closed the letters together and Voila! named me (her 5th daughter) after this model.  Here is a picture of Le Jeune Hundley on the cover of Jet magazine:

 

 

Another concern of mine is that scientists have identified the 5 stages of the human brain and 66 (or the mid-60s) is when the so-called Early Aging phase begins.  This is the phase when people face increased risk for a variety of health conditions that can affect the brain, such as hypertension.  Hence why I wake up 5 days a week at the crack of dawn (430am) to work out from 5am to 6am at  Orangetheory Fitness in Hamden.  I’m usually one of the oldest members in my class but I can still keep up with everyone (smile).

 

 

And also why I (as of the Covid Pandemic of 2020) completely cut alcohol (in my case – Wine) out of my life and continue to work very hard to eat clean and nutritious meals.  It can be harsh (especially around the holidays) so I allow myself to cheat from time to time. Like the other day when I went with my girlfriends Sherry and Thais to see Wicked 2 at the Cinemark movie theater and  treated myself to a Medium popcorn with extra movie theater butter (smile).

 

 

I truly believe life is for living and I have reiterated it as much in more than one of my previously written blog posts.  I will continue to not act my age and just enjoy life to the fullest.  So unless I am getting a serious Senior Citizen discount, you will not know when I am in fact a Senior Citizen.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL