Senior Living Isn’t So Bad

What a depressing column by Dan Neil in the July 10 issue (“A Senior Moment”). I can sum up my senior life in one short paragraph and never relate to what I’ve just read. I am 81, a Navy veteran of World War II, a widow for the past 18 years, mother of seven magnificent children and grandmother of four fantastic teenagers. I retired at age 80, live alone in a two-bedroom, two-bath condo and enjoy every minute of it. My only exercise is walking, which I do religiously, and most of my entertainment involves spending wonderful hours with my family. If a 45-year-old man has such a lopsided view of senior moments, he surely will have a depressing senior life.

Patricia Ostrye

San Diego

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I hope that Neil winds up being one of “us.” Maybe then he will understand that it just happens: You wake up one day with a wrinkle or two more, this or that droops, your digestion ain’t so great. But then a check will get deposited into your account once a month, and you’ll no longer have to worry about which insurance company is going to cancel your medical policy or raise premiums. I hope no one refers to us then as “these Americans.”

Carole Merritt

Topanga