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The Compliments I Cherish Most
Now that I’m old
Living in a world where ageism is a reality — and you happen to be old — isn’t always fun. We get passed over for a lot of stuff — and prejudged way too often. Opportunities don’t knock much anymore. And full-time employment opportunities? Don’t make me laugh.
Still, there are a few moments when it pays (literally and figuratively) to be geriatric. Like when NYU is conducting memory tests on geezers — and they’re visiting senior centers to find candidates willing to submit to the program for $20/hour.
When my cell phone rang and the woman on the other end told me I’d signed up (I had no recollection) and that the gig paid $50 for 2.5 hours — and the office was just a five-minute bike ride away — I accepted the offer.
Upon arrival, I was met by two soft-spoken and attractive 20-something female Asian students. Quickly I asked and discovered their major was speech pathology. One was in grad school — and the other a senior undergrad.
As part of the program, the students conducted the usual cognitive stuff — like having me draw a clock and insert the numbers — and count backwards by seven from 100 (100, 93, 86, 79, and you get the idea). I have all my wits about me (or whatever I had) so none of this was a problem.
