Senior Day at Kroger | Healthy Aging Series: Season 13, Chapter 1

If I remember anything about the pandemic, it was the empty shelves at Kroger.

There was plenty of beer available. There was lots of Dasani bottled water on the shelves. Airport rental lots were full. No shortage of rental cars. There was plenty of chocolate hummus, plant-based sausage, and, most importantly, cauliflower-crust pizza.

But toilet paper? You remember. The shelves were bare. BTW: I’ve stockpiled a couple of jumbo packs of Charmin in my basement, just in case.

The early months of the pandemic were challenging. The masks. The parks were closed, and so were the restaurants. But no TP?

When I discovered that Kroger had set aside 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m., Monday through Thursday, for seniors only, I jumped at the chance.

If—fingers crossed—the stockers had replenished the shelves the night before, then maybe, just maybe, there would be a meager amount of ultra-soft or ultra-strong toilet tissue waiting for me. We would have even settled for Scott TP with 1,000 sheets per roll.

I remember buying our first roll of toilet paper during regular hours. It was April 3, 2020. We have the pic to prove it.

It was really fun going through Kroger during those senior hours. I had the place to myself.

Those senior days were a reminder that there are some perks to getting older. I think we need those reminders. There are so many naysayers, curmudgeons, and negative influencers out there that it’s easy to develop a bad attitude about getting older.

We become so focused on the downsides of aging—and there are downsides—that we miss the perks. We miss the benefits of getting older. Your response might be, “Give me one benefit or one perk.”

If You’re Older, You’re Going to Live Longer

First, I might point out the problem with the title that I’ve chosen for this season/book: Getting Older: Everybody’s Doing It.

The simple truth is: not everybody’s doing it. I attended my 50th high school reunion a couple of years ago. The PowerPoint presentation of classmates who didn’t make it to the 50th reunion seemed to have gotten longer than it was at the previous reunion. I checked, and only 7 in 10 men and 8 in 10 women make it to 70 years old.

The good news is, if you’ve made it to 70, 7 in 10 men and 8 in 10 women make it to 80. One of the perks of getting older is that you’re likely to live longer. Source: Social Security Administration, Actuarial Life Table, 2023.

What else?

I’m Smarter

I cannot speak for every person who is 70 or older, but I seem to be better at figuring things out. People come to me to bounce things off me, not just as a therapist, but as a husband, father, friend, and colleague. And what I say makes sense to me.

Let me be clear, though: I don’t give unsolicited advice. It’s a subtle form of disapproval. But when people come to me, share a problem, and ask me what I think, I tell them what I think, and I like what I hear myself saying.

I’m older. I’ve seen a lot. A lot. And I listen a lot. Maybe the word I’m getting at is wiser. I’ve gotten a little wiser as I’ve gotten older. That’s another benefit of getting older.

I’m Happier

Another perk: getting older helps me care less about stupid s**t, and therefore I’m happier.

My mom was like that. I delivered my mom’s eulogy when she passed away in 2015. Let me share a few excerpts from that day:

“Despite her losses and tragedies, she had the ability to see the sunshine anyway. Life has a way of challenging us in our beliefs. Mom lost three of her children when they were infants. She lost her husband. Despite the clouds, she made it sunny for herself and for us.”

“Mom learned the pain and misery that come from majoring on the minors. She saw how stupid shit separates parents from children, siblings from each other, grandparents from their grandchildren, and friends from friends. Shame on us if we let stupid shit separate us: religious beliefs, politics, mistakes in the past, money, misspoken words, or who you fall in love with, sleep with, or bring home. None of it is worth separating us from our families.”

Not caring about the minor things, the little things, gives you a better perspective on life. More often than not, those things—and even the bigger things going on in the world—are completely out of our control. Mom didn’t let those things rob her of her peace.

Additional Perks

I could list other perks.

Medicare and Social Security.

The ability to control if and when you work.

Relationships. Friendships. Family. I have a wonderful wife who pampers me, loves to bake for me, travels with me, and is a wonderful companion and business partner. Nice perk!

I’ve read Lonesome Dove five times. In the opening scene of the book, when Gus and Bolivar are on the front porch verbally sparring, Bolivar compares sharpening his knife to attending to his wife’s needs. Gus responds that Bolivar seldom sees his wife, so how could he attend to her needs? Bolivar’s explanation is that it doesn’t matter because she is old. Gus replies, “The older the violin, the sweeter the music.”

Hopefully, our music is sweeter.

Hopefully, our music is richer.

Hopefully, our music can inspire others to be better people.

As we age, we aren’t just getting older; hopefully we’re getting better.

Let that sink in.