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.

so true

My brain says I am still young but my body says "no you're not". As long as I can still get up and go I do not consider myself old.

I catch myself saying "an older woman" when describing someone and then realize they are probably the same age or maybe younger than my 70 (71 on August 23) years of age. I might be elderly when I retire? I am still doing adjunct teaching at a local community college, teaching two classes, sometimes three each semester. My sister passed last month at the age of 68. As she was living in Assisted Living, suffering from COPD and complications from diabetes, she seemed elderly.

It's funny that you ask this now. I'm 63, last night I was meeting a guy for a first date. I walked in the place and didn't see him and went over to sit. I was looking at all the men at the bar and was thinking about how many elderly men were hanging out there. Then it hit me, they were probably my age. I don't consider myself elderly. I guess its looks and maybe how you feel. My serger teacher just turned 70, she has the gray hair, etc but I don't think of her as elderly. She travels all over this area teaching and she can pick up my heavy serger so much easier than I do. I don't think its a certain age. Like Bob Hope, he was over 100 when he died but I didn't see him as elderly either, he was active from what I know until the end.

I always say I may not be able to control what God deals me but I can try to prevent it from taking me down. I see people that good have better health if they would listen to the doctors or make healthier choices. So many don't have that option, they are really limited on what they can do to make things better if at all. Then you have those that could be so much healthier and not have to have family members etc, to take care of them if they'd just make smarter choices. I had a co-worker who was diabetic, weighed almost 400 lbs and yet she'd eat sugar, fatty foods like it was no big deal. Then she'd try and get sympathy for her health. I told her I save that for those who are trying even when the odds are against them.

I'm might go down, end up in wheel chair, etc but I'm not going down without a fight.

"Elderly" is always going to be about five years older than I am.

My mother in law is 90 and going strong. Her mother lived to be 110. See has to drive all her friends around because they are not able to drive. She is driving to Maryland next week end with a friend of hers for a football game. She wanted to go to my daughters house in Fl ( we are in WV) I told her it was hard on my back driving that far. She said well i'll drive. Im 73 lol

When I turned 50, I became an Elder in my tribe. I pass my love of my culture down to my children and grand children.

A celebrity (don't remember who, but woman) once said "Someone is old if they are 15 years older than you are." So I have remembered that for a couple decades now. You just adjust the numbers as yours go up. :)