An employee at Wendy's today told me that she has seen me "pedaling all over the place on my bicycle, and I pedal so fast, and I am so old!"

She was about 25-30yo or so, and with her accent and looks appeared to be of Indian (India) heritage.

I hear you.

My wife and I were several hundred miles into a tour last summer on loaded bikes when we started to go by a 35-40 year old guy who was riding on the sidewalk. We said "hi", and he asked where we were coming from and where we were going. He looked like the kind of guy you often see in larger towns who may have lost their drivers license, and are riding a beat up old mountain bike. When we told him, "San Francisco to the Mexican border" he said, "that is really good for a couple your age."

We took it as a compliment, and still laugh about it.

I seem to remember we have been down this road before not long ago with people joking about young women flirting with older cyclists. I often believe reality is harder for some than others. We had a guy riding with us that thought he was flirting with a young girl working at one of our regular coffee shop stops. While about 15 of us sat around and watched them banter we all got quiet when we heard her say, I wish my dad would get out and ride like you. One look at our faces and you would have thought we were all frozen for a group picture. Thank goodness she didn't say, grand dad.

Well, Denver, we are old, which is not a bad thing. Those who discriminate against, underestimate, and in other ways denigrate those of us who have more years, just aren't mature enough to know any better.

Well, I was hoping that someone would respond, "In the Indian culture, 'Old' is respected and highly valued," but no such luck. Please take my OP with a bit of tongue-in-cheek. Sometimes I don't realize that my posts come across as serious, when I didn't mean them that way!! Is there a smiley for tongue-in-cheek?

And what illusion was shattered?

Yep...

My illusions are shattered every time I get out my driver's license with its 20 y/o picture.

You're 73, by your own admission. Brace up, man.

I was about to say just that.

My grandson, who is in med school, has a good friend and roommate from India. They visit us occasionally and I get that highly respected feeling from him. Very nice young man.

My illusions are shattered every time I brush my teeth in the morning
when I see some old guy staring back at me in the mirror

You got teeth!?

I don't know about all that, but "A Christmas Story" was playing the other day. I never noticed before the mom is cute.

That's funny, wife and I were in Wendy's today at lunch and the lady at the cash register announced, rather loudly, that she applied "senior discount" to the bill. Guess I am starting to show my age.
I should have said "yep but I ain't hard of hearing yet!"

Just tell her a man that can pump for hours is a happy, healthy man, then smile and say petals I mean petals. Then ask her out.

Rod

It always gets a smile. No dates yet. But it does get a smile.

Just tell that you're 25 and had a serious illness.

It's not only kids who can do this to you. About eight years back, when my daughter was 3, the Lions Club was selling Christmas cakes in my area. I took her out to buy one. There I was, standing in the road with my daughter in my arms. One bloke, probably in his sixties, said to the lass, "having fun with your GRANDPA?"
Hmmmph
I got my revenge though, the look on his face when she corrected him was priceless

I frequently ride the bike to the cleaners (a new one for us since the old one closed). So, on the first ride, the very sweet owner/operator of oriental descent and accent remarked upon my bike and my riding, and did I always ride, etc. During the course of our conversation, I told her I swam a lot, lifted weights, etc., and the subject of my age came up. I told her I was 95. She stopped and came over and looked me over, head to toe, front to back, with this strange look on her face. I hated to destroy the moment by telling her I was only 73, but I did. It was enjoyable. We are now friends, and she looks forward to my biking there.

Reminds me of a guy I met on the ferry headed down to Prince Rupert. Early morning hours and we were visiting. He had driven from Columbus, Ohio to Yukon across the Top Of The World Highway (with them closing the road as he went due to snow) and back down to Haines to catch the ferry and thence back home. A Big trip.

He asked me how old I thought he was. With that lead I added 10 years and guessed 70. His driver's license said 95.

Secret to all of us elders? Like someone recently said: It is OK to be an Elder but not to be Elderly. Don't be elderly.

My body has aged but my spirit is ageless. That's what some people don't yet know about us and themselves.

As a matter of fact, there is... don't know that I've ever seen it used though.
https://pc.net/emoticons/smiley/tongue_in_cheek

Some one for some reason did a study,,,yes probably using government money..

The study found that the rate that we age physically is just slow enough that when we look in the mirror
throughout our lives we do NOT precieve, or actually see the aging process happen.
So It's often a surprise one day when we see an older face looking back at us...

I do not fear death,
I'm having too much fun.


Besides that,,,
I'm so good looking now that I'm past 50 I have to carry a can of mace to keep the women off me XD

It would have been funnier if she said "you don't look a day over 80".

Thanks! I like that! It's a good one to remember!