The little theater on campus is a gem, showing those films you only see on foreign film lists at the Oscars.  It has been some time since we’ve been there, the last time late in 2019 to see the Magic Flute from the Met.  I was scheduled to see another in March of 2020 but then things happened. Anyway, in the past I tended to take groups of students, but we did go a couple of times to see other films.  I’m not sure why we didn’t go more often, but most times we’re temped by the allure of things being streamed or the latest and greatest in the theater with the reclining seats, not the old school seats at the Ross.

So off we went on a lovely spring evening, walking hand in hand from the parking garage to join a group of white haired people walking into the theater.  I mention that because they ALL had white hair.  We stood in line behind them, most of them Members of the theater, with their punch cards and discounts for popcorn, going through one at a time.  We got our tickets, debated which size of popcorn we should get and went in to find some seats.  Old school again because we didn’t choose our seats ahead of time, it was first come, first served.  I looked up into the audience, most of whom were women with the vast majority of them having white hair.  I was feeling pretty young until I realized that if I wasn’t coloring my hair….

The film was wonderful, based on a true story, taking place in 1961 in England.  A story I had never heard before but won’t soon forget.  The music was really “Mad Men” and the whole film had a real 1960’s vibe.  As the lights came up, the conversations began, friends greeting friends with delighted smiles, standing on the steps in groups, or walking over for a quick hug. Two women at the bottom of the stairs began dancing to the music, laughing and twirling each other in a type of swing style that matched the music, one exclaiming that they hadn’t done that for a long time.  Obviously, membership pays off in terms of making friends and suddenly, the young behavior belied the white hair that had been so prevalent earlier. 

A trip to the restroom followed, as frankly, we’re all of that age where making sure we don’t pass up the opportunity is important.  Two ladies were talking about Helen Mirren and how they had certainly “de-glamorized” her for the role.  It’s Helen Mirren of course – she’s amazing no matter what she does, “de-glamorized” or not and the role she played here, of the long suffering but loving wife, doing whatever she can to take care of her family was one that anyone could relate to. That’s the thing about this theater – the types of films they bring always leave you thinking, giving you things to have conversations about afterwards.  

Our conversation on the way to the car however was how we were certainly younger than most people in the theater but knowing that in reality we weren’t.  The problem is that I FEEL younger most of the time, until I can’t remember a word I want or something I planned to do or something I went for in the next room.  I’m feeling good physically too for the most part – working hard to ignore the random aches and pains that appear and disappear.  We laugh at how hard it can be to get in and out of his car sometimes but how young we feel with the top down and the wind in our hair. 

In a recent article, Jane Fonda said you can be really old at 60 and you can be really young at 85.  My hope is that I continue to pursue the things I want and that I won’t be hindered by people who assume that I’m “old” and past my prime and not just older with plenty of time left to contribute.  At 62, I know that there are more things I want to do in my life, there’s more to learn, more books to read, more people to meet, more differences to make, more wind to feel in my hair.