MyStory YourStory: You know you’re getting old if …

… you take a nap after lunch.

… the point size on your computer monitor is 16 or larger.

… the books you read have enlarged print.

… residents in nursing homes look young to you.

… you walk around with your purse wide open.

… asking for scratch paper, you get blank stares.

… you know what chicken scratch is and you cook from scratch.

…s omeone says, �I�ll dial the number,� you know what they mean.

… your 1970 sewing machine doesn�t look like an antique.

… you still say, �Roll down the car window.�

… at one time, you had a gas station attendant who hand-washed your windshield, checked the oil and pumped your gas for 20 cents a gallon.

… buying five-cent Hershey�s Reeses�s Peanut Butter Cups seems like yesterday.

… you know why people used to drop their watches.

… your first washing machine had a ringer.

… the way you prefer to dry laundry is by hanging it out on the line, even in winter.

… you have clothespins and still use them.

… you sift your flour and grate your cheese.

… you know how to poach eggs.

… a catalog store is something you can define.

… shopping in the Montgomery Catalog Store on Main Street once was routine for you.

… the thrill of going to the Five and Dime on a Saturday afternoon is fresh in your mind.

… there is a crank pencil sharpener in your house and you still use it.

… you know what a blackboard is.

… the first lesson you had in cursive was on a blackboard.

… you know what cursive is and still use it.

… letter writing on stationary is one way you communicate

… �text� was not a verb when you were a teenager.

… you still have a set of Encyclopedia Britannica on your bookshelves.

… the encyclopedia salesman and you were on a first-name basis.

… you know what a bomb shelter is.

… air raid drills in school are vivid in your memory

… your doctor is younger than you are.

… the mayor�s name is Katrina.

… your senator�s name is Sean.

… the governor�s name is Chris.

… you�re the oldest person on the block.

… you�re all alone with no one to share family news.

… you don�t mind growing old because you�re tired.

… you finally realize that having grandchildren is the one good thing about growing old.

A resident of Southeast South Dakota, Paula Bosco Damon is a national award-winning columnist. Her writing has won first-place in competitions of the National Federation of Press Women, South Dakota Press Women and Iowa Press Women. In the 2009 and 2010 South Dakota Press Women Communications Contest, Paula�s columns took five first-place awards. To contact Paula, email pauladamon@iw.net, follow her blog at http://my-story-your-story.blogspot.com/ and find her on Facebook.

2011 � Copyright Paula Damon.