In the room

  It's been said that life is a circle. You know what I mean, how you return to the things of your youth as you age. There are a lot of memes and comedians using that material. It's usually about teeth or toilet habits. The pharmaceutical companies are working overtime producing products to reverse all of that. It's a losing battle however and we all know it, just putting off the inevitable. It is something I have become increasingly aware of, but not in the physical sense, at least not yet, but in the way I am supposed to interact in society. When we were children we were to be seen but not heard. That's pretty much the way it is going now, except its' best if you're not seen as well. That's what we have life alert for. Technology will alert the proper authority if that becomes necessary. I heard their is some technology that will send "vital" data to your loved ones. It will alert them if you are having a heart attack or some other medical emergency. That way they don't have to actually check on you personally. It's more convenient that way.

  Have you noticed how people now respond to you? I mean they are either polite, although a bit condescending, or they act annoyed. Your questions are treated like they were when you were a child. You either get a carefully worded answer, or it is assumed you just can't understand the subject matter yet. You are asked, but not expected to actually answer. When there are gatherings of the family or perhaps a small party and you're invited, you aren't really supposed to say anything, just sit there and smile a lot. Others will wait on you, ask if you need anything, and after that pretty much ignore you. You are there to be seen, not heard. And you are sitting there, just watching and listening. You attendance is like when you brought your children to the party. You parade them out, brag on them a bit and then send them out to play or whatever. You'll check on them occasionally, make sure they aren't getting into any trouble.

  Yes, I have noticed I am now at the old folks table. Close to the bathroom, out of any drafts, and off to the side a bit to avoid the high traffic area. Folks will stop by that table every once and a while. It's usually to ask about something from the past, or talk about someone that has passed. There won't be any questions concerning current events. No one wants to get you "started" on any of that. Being at the old folks table is like being at an observation post. Just watch, listen, and later on talk it over with another old person. When I was a kid I would be sent out of the room. I always wondered what they were doing that I wasn't to know about. Turns out they weren't doing much of anything really. Now I just sit in the corner and smile a lot. It's like watching an old movie. You already know the story, but there are new actors. You are watching your understudies. Well, I thought I had taught them better than that.