Ageism

Time to write!

Write about a character in a different age group- someone who isn't your age and who is of an age that you don't normally write about.
This is actually a little bit more difficult than you'd think, mainly because I already really like exploring things from the points of views of others. For example, I write in the psyche of young children in Protector and in my rambling about Penniworth the other day. I work with teenagers/adolescents a lot, and younger adults quite frequently. This leaves me with old people. I don't write much about them. I also tend to write from the perspective of a girl. It's much easier for me to write a female protagonist, probably because I am, you know, female. So to make this interesting we're going to write about an old man. I don't want him to be the guy from UP though, tempting as it sounds, cause I want this to be creative.

I wanted to be cheerful. I  always felt guilty after getting upset with Madelyn or Cambry for being too loud. Especially when they then turned to Leila, my daughter, and told her that "Papa was being mean".
When did I get so old?
I really do want to be happy. And I suppose, in a way, I am. I am certainly grateful. However, I can be grateful for the things I have and still notice the things I don't have anymore at the same time.
I know I'm lucky to have a wonderful family, and for my sweet wife Eliza. I pray every night and thank the Lord for each and every one of my children, and my grandchildren, and for the chance I have to be with them.
But getting old is still hard.
Yesterday Cambry came and sat next to me. She started tracing my veins, popping up under my dark, leathery skin, and said, "Papa? Why are your hands so different than mine?"
I told her it was part of getting old. I said that when you got older you spent so much time taking care of other people that your body stopped watching after itself.
Cambry was quiet for a long time after that. Then she stood up on the couch and kissed me on the top of my bald head. This is something she is extremely fond of doing and tells her younger sister Madelyn to do all the time. After bestowing her kiss she whispered, "I'll take care of you, Papa."

Aw.  A sweet moment, captured in a very short endeavor for the night.