The "Ageless" Story

It was an ordinary day. I had just returned from breakfast with the retired teachers with whom I worked. We numbered about 35 for our monthly breakfast together where we can pass along the latest about our families and news about what we are now doing, or in some cases not doing. My experiences in the MTSD go way back. I went to elementary school, junior high, and high school in the district. After graduation I went to school to become a teacher and ended up teaching at the same high school from which I graduated. I taught with many of the same people who I had as teachers just 4 years before. I never felt uncomfortable or intimidated by them, but I did feel much younger than them. Well today, a few of those teachers sat with me as we discussed a variety of topics over baked oatmeal, eggs, pancakes and scrapple. You know, I still have never tried scrapple. It looks gross and I can only imagine what is in it and what it would do to my body. Across from me was Jake H. who I swear still looks the same as he did when I had him for 12th grade history. Full head of hair, good looks with no wrinkles and the same young smile and temperament. He had the scrapple. Maybe I should eat some. At the other end of the table was Joe R. who I had for English in 11th grade. I thought he was old then! He now walks with a cane and can't drive, but he sure can eat. Next to me was Mr. H. He was the principal for most of my 35 years I taught and he also taught math when I was a student at MTHS. He was a fantastic athlete in college and still works for the PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Asso.) I could never call him by his first name when I was a teacher and still find it impossible to call him anything but Mr. H. Needless to say I can't say anything bad about him in this story. As I look around the room I realize how little hair some have, how many are excessively overweight, how many have hearing aids and how many wrinkles there are as compared to last month. Tough getting older, but it sure beats the other result. I remember when we were all younger. Those were the good old times. For some, aging has been gentle, but for others, it has not treated them very nicely. For me, when I look in the mirror I still see the same person I did all my life and I'm happy with that. At least I can still look in the mirror! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.