Young at Heart 05/16/25

One member of the New 60 duo (not John) hit 72 yesterday. Is that too old to be writing about 60 somethings? Hell no. I still remember what people feel in their 60’s. Sort of. One of the big things I’m grappling with is do I tee off from the white tees (which I’ve been doing as long as I’ve been playing golf), or is it time to move up to the old man tees (the gold ones)? If it’s a matter of ability, I should have gone to the gold ones years ago. But no, this is a matter of pride. Just to make sure us senior men don’t get our little egos crushed, golf courses always place the gold tees just a teeny, tiny distance in back of the red women’s tees. The fact that many women golfers could crush me in a tournament is not the point. The point is, or rather the question is, how do we adjust to getting older? The first comic has happened to John and me countless times. Usually in a Walgreens or CVS. But also in a grocery store, movie theater, you name it. There is a certain age of people who didn’t grow up with credit cards. They don’t trust or understand an ATM. And they use what they’ve used all their lives. Cash. They count out their dollars and cents, and spill out their change purses (remember them? I used to have a change compartment in my wallet) and count out loud. I’m sure we’re all going to reach the stage where we don’t understand the quickest way to pay for things. Bitcoin anyone? But for now, we can remain superior to the ECC’s (Exact Change Counters). Al has managed to contain his legendary impatience (I wonder who was the role model for that) because the woman called him “young man.” Please give him a break. He’s so easily manipulated.

Which brings us around to adventure travel. This is definitely for the young at heart. And I maintain, the young at body. I have a nephew who has an adventure travel business. It features hiking, biking, horseback riding and it welcomes people of all ages. It is wildly popular among retired seniors. Maybe because they have the money and the time. For example, a typical morning might feature a choice of a 12-mile hike up steep, rocky terrain, a 5-mile trek up hills or a 1 1/2 mile “excursion” over flat surfaces. I think as time goes on he’s either going to need more guides for more options or, what I really think is that the choices are going to become a 1 1/2 mile hike over flat terrain, a 3/4 mile e-bike ride on pavement or a 2-hour mah jong lesson. In Patagonia. Al got tired just hearing about an adventure trip. Me, I’ve always wanted to learn mahjong. Not really. It got me thinking, how would you challenge a person who loves the challenge of adventure travel? I would stand before the group and say, “This morning we have a choice of watching all 6 seasons of Breaking Bad, Godfather 1, 2 and 3 or, for those of you seeking a more physical challenge, a class on how to read a paperback novel in a heated swimming pool on a raft without getting the pages wet. Now that’s an accomplishment.

Have a great weekend and we will see you again next Friday with two new comics,

Andy and John