Aging with grace is old hat

Turn on the television and a good chunk of the programs today are reality shows stocked with tan, buff and beautiful 20-somethings who scheme, rob, lie and attempt to outwit, out-sing or out-cook their competition.

What you won't find are senior citizens, unless you count the token elder whom the younger players descend on like a pack of hyenas, a sacrificial lamb for the baby boomer generation. Even with 70 being the new 50 and facelifts as common as a neighborhood Starbucks, old age has no cool factor.

As a general rule, someone you consider "old" has 30 years on you. This is a sliding scale, as the younger you are the less old the other person needs to be. This explains the alarm parents feel when their 16-year-old high school daughter is going out with an 18-year-old college freshman, or conversely the indignation of 55-year-olds when they qualify for a senior's discount.