By PAT NEWMAN
pnewman@thecitizennews.com

I never thought I'd be old enough to see the hippie look resurface as a fashion trend, or be asked if I had television as a child.

“How did you cook without a microwave, Mom?” my daughter asked. “Over an open fire,” I retorted.

I used to love birthdays. Now I start to hyperventilate a week before one comes around. At least I have plenty of company. According to a recent article in Newsweek, there are millions of us boomers postponing middle age.

Just look around. Convertibles are more likely to be driven by graying golfer-types than perky Barbie blondes. Men and women over 40 commonly refer to everything from gourmet bologna to their personal web site as “cool.” And prescription commercials on TV zero in on every age-related deficiency, over-efficiency and irregularity known to middle age man and woman.

If all it takes is Senokot to make me burst into song and ace out my tennis opponent, bring it on.

The Newsweek story also indicated that today's over 40s will not fall down and fail to get up without a fight. It used to be the Peter Pan syndrome, when nobody wanted to grow up. Now it's Mick Jagger and the “I don't want to grow old” mania.

I was never sensitive about my age until last week. But when my financial consultant started talking about the pros and cons of early retirement and I realized that Social Security benefits were less than 20 years away, I panicked. What happened to the last 20 years? His answer was right on the money — kids, Cub Scouts, softball, soccer, homework, etc.

“How old are you going to be?” he asked. “Forty, um, erhh, uh.' That second digit got lodged in my throat. I needed a Heimlich maneuver to spit it out.

I whispered it to myself and changed the subject. “How about those Braves?” I sputtered.

I guess it's time to face the music, I'm getting older and I've got to take it like a woman. I think it's time for one of those sleek red convertibles and some Clairol blonde.

Now that's cool.

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