SEEN YOURS

Having taught high school seniors for the majority of my teaching career, I was always partial to that class. Pep assembly contests pitted class warfare. When I was asked to be one of the judges, I was highly impartial, but usually the seniors or Seen Yours won anyhow. Something about being more comfortable, bigger, rulers.

I think I'm a Seen Your today. Seen Your Citizen, that is. Sometimes senior citizens are 55, for instance when I watched The American last night, I paid senior citizen price of $6.50 rather than $9.50. And my birthday was hours away. Other times I've seen or heard it be 65.

Well, today I'm 62. And, quite frankly, struggling a little with it. I'm now old enough for Social Security. It doesn't seem that long ago when I applied for my Social Security Card . The office was located where the Tri-County building now sits. I filled out the paper work from Mrs. Caroline Wagner, whose daughters were good friends. From 16 to 62 in a heartbeat. Or a few. "Whoosh and you've been a lawyer for 40 years and eaten 10,000 meals with the woman across the table from you," Wilder said in Our Town, and I'll be damned if he isn't right. It flies.

So if you're a reader, feel free to lift a glass of your favorite beverage to the TQ Man for reaching a milestone, that of senior citizenship. Long may I stick around!