An Aging Rhapsody
Please indulge me with an MS blog that’s not exactly about MS at all.
My friend Kristin and I were going to dinner and a movie. We’d been eager to see Bohemian Rhapsody since the first trailer appeared for it, something like 5 years ago.
We decided to do the movie first because we’ve aged a bit since our teen years and God forbid, we stay out later than 8 PM on a week night.
The idea was just unfathomable.
This was a big deal for us and so after shelling out a couple of bucks for the tickets, we shelled out thousands of bucks on all the fixings- popcorn, soda and candy.
We took our loot into the darkened theater, me trailing Kristin while trying to balance my jacket, my purse, my drink, my snacks, and my overall clumsy body.
Balancing even myself these days ain’t easy so this was quite the feat.
(Hey, what do you know, I managed to throw a bit of MS into this post after all.)
But in the theater, I stopped, panicked and tried to whisper as Kristin headed towards seats.
“Psst”
“Pssst, Kristin”
“Kristin”
“KRISTIN!”
When I finally caught her attention, I told her I couldn’t go on.
“What? Why?” she asked.
“Because of them. Look at them. What are THEY doing here?”
I was referring to three very elderly looking women sitting right in the middle of the stadium style seating.
I don’t believe I usually discriminate based on age, but these folks looked really, really old to me.
What could my friend and I possibly have in common with these ladies?
What were they doing at the same movie as us?
How could they possibly be interested in a movie about a classic rock band that was popular back in the 70’s and 80’s?
Did they think the Queen the movie was based on was actually in England? Ok, technically this Queen was from England but perhaps there was a different Queen from England they had in mind?
But seriously, wasn’t there a Lawrence Welk or Frank Sinatra movie they could go see?
Kristin told me to get over myself and lead me to some seats, way too close to these seniors.
I was still concerned.
Perhaps Kristin and I had ventured into the wrong movie? Now, that’s something MS would do. MS would lead me into the wrong theater and I could watch Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper sing away for 30 minutes and wonder when the hell the film was going to get into the Freddie Mercury part.
I’m not saying women of a certain age aren’t allowed to have fun; they just can’t have my type of fun.
The movie started, and it was quite good. And our slightly older neighbors stayed and watched it with us. But I remained suspicious. Especially when they refused to sing, chair dance or even lip sync when the title song played.
I mean, if you’re breathing, it’s literally impossible not to join the band in singing this song.
Let’s test this-
Scaramouche, Scaramouche
Will you do the Fandango
Thunderbolt and lightening very, very frightening me
Galileo (high)
Galileo (low)
Galileo (high)
Galileo (low)
Galileo figaro magnifico
See?
You sang that, didn’t you? You know you did. You have no idea what it means but you sang it with same intensity you use for the National Anthem at a football game.
After the movie we wanted to treat ourselves a bit more. We wanted to eat at a really nice, classy restaurant.
Walking into Olive Garden I saw some other older folks hanging out in the lobby.
That’s it, I said to myself, if these are the same women I’m not going to this restaurant! No way! I can’t possibly have that much in common with ladies that much older than me. We’ll have to find a Chuck E. Cheese or something.
But these folks weren’t the same ladies who had watched the movie with us and Kristin was a little over my self-imposed drama about my own aging concerns.
We ordered, and after sampling the free wine sample of the day, I ordered an $8 glass of what was probably a $4 bottle and pondered some more.
Quietly, so Kristin wouldn’t yell at me.
The thing is, I’m blessed to live in a really nice housing complex that is designated for people of a certain age. I got in as they have a few spots for the disabled. And when I join my neighbors for weekly trivia it shocks me when their brains kick my MS fogged brain and beat me. (Except for Classic Rock- that category I own. Too bad it’s one that almost never comes up.)
So perhaps I’m just super sensitive to my own aging. Especially when multiple sclerosis often feels like I’m aging way faster than I should be. I cling to my rock and roll memories as a way to feel young. So, who am I to judge if folks older than me have young spirits as well?
And who am I to begrudge them for having a good time, even if I think it’s a good time that should be reserved for my own age bracket, not for brackets way, technically older than me. Hopefully, when I reach their age, I’ll still want to be cool and will go out to cool movies, even if there are people in the theater who think the movie shouldn’t appeal to someone of my age.
I just have to stop being such a persnickety pain in the butt and maybe by then I will have stopped stressing over inane things.
BUT, and I say this with all sincerity, if I find myself at a movie that focuses on today’s music, say a biopic of the war between Nick Minaj and Cardi B, please, please kick me out of the theater!
Happy Thanksgiving my friends!!!
If you want to work off the turkey coma might I suggest going to see Bohemian Rhapsody and chair dancing the carbs away!!
