Although I am not a member of our local First Nations bands, I am closely connected with the community and attend many events on reserve. They now consider me an elder which comes with the bonus of being first in the food line. I don't mind being an elder but don't think of myself as elderly. When I was young(er), I used to think that aging brought extra responsibility because it is the elders who carry the wisdom and I didn't want to take that on. I guess I'm there now, because I do feel like I have a lot of knowledge to share and it's not so frightening after all to carry. I think others will consider me elderly long before I feel it myself.