On Turning 50

I've been contemplating writing about growing older for some time now. . .two months, 28 days, 12 hours and 18 minutes.  I would mention the seconds, but that would be going overboard, wouldn't it?  Ever since I turned the big FIVE-O I've been enormously preoccupied with it.  Periods of contemplation on the matter, however, resulted in a number of positive discoveries:

• There is now a more flattering term for this section of my life.  I don't have to refer to it as "middle age" or "winter" (both of which conjure up visions of darkness, bleakness, DEAD of winter-ness).  It is now called an "encore performance".  I can't remember who coined the phrase, but I want him or her to win a Nobel prize.
• FIVE-O is popular, as evidenced by the fact that the TV series "Hawaii FIVE-O" has been recreated--with actors who are no where near 50.  (What's up with that?  Jack Lord was the epitome of crime-fighting maturity.  And Dan-O was no spring chicken, either.  No offense to James MacArthur.  The late James MacArthur.)
• AARP sends you free stuff.  They coax you toward your encore performance with 1,000 free address labels, discounts on dining out, and articles (with photos) of celebrity members encouraging perseverance.  All this implies that a) you aren't going to be moving (you've retired and have nothing better to do than send snail mail; b) your culinary taste has declined to a point where Norm's is your restaurant of choice, and c) you are in the company of beautiful people, like Sting, Stevie Nicks and Betty White.  (Of course, when you die of old age you are in the company of beautiful people.  They conveniently leave out that part.) Very sneaky, those AARP-ers. 

Anyway, I'm going to persevere with this Blog titled, "Resistant Gray", intended to be a comedy of elders, since writing is what I do for my encore performance.