What happens to Curmudgeons when they get older ?
.....They turn into "Old coots" and "Geezers"
By Howard Chandler
Most people don’t know the difference between an "Old Coot" and a "Geezer." Even though they might look very similar they certainly act very differently from each other.
It only takes a little practice to learn how to tell them apart. A common misconception is that a "Geezer" is at least ten years older than an "Old Coot." Not true. There are plenty of 60-year-old "Geezers" out there and certainly more than handful of "Old Coots" who are in their 90s.
Another misconception is that coots and geezers are necessarily male — not at all true. While women are much better about disguising their cootness and geezerhood, they are every bit as susceptible as men.
Some people mistakenly believe that "Old Coots" later turn into "Geezers." That almost never happens. I’ve never know of an "Old Coot" to cross over to being a "Geezer" or vice versa — in theory maybe, but in real life it never happens.
"I resemble that remark" is a quote the origin of which I have narrowed down to being from Moe, Larry or Curly, but I have yet to be able to confirm exactly which one to give credit to. It is particularly appropriate because it is quite possible that some of you are now — or will at sometime be — an "Old Coot" or a "Geezer" yourself.
You don’t wake up one day and suddenly become an "Old Coot" or a "Geezer." Many people spend much of their life preparing for the role. Clear indications usually show up around 40, and by 50 those who are predisposed towards it cannot hide it and by 60 it becomes instantly clear which, if either, you are destined to become — assuming you are not already there.
Coots and Geezers are like two different sides of a coin. One isn’t better than the other — and though different from each other — you really can’t have one without the other.
So what’s the difference between them? Well the "Old Coot" is going to surprise you, while the "Geezer" is going to impress you.
The "Old Coot" just doesn’t do what most people expect him or her to do. We all have these expectations of what old people are supposed to do and be. When they do something that takes us by surprise we sometimes see them for who they are: "Old Coots."
You want proof: Talk to some 80+ year olds about their sex lives and you’ll quickly find out who is an "Old Coot" and who is not. An "Old Coot" will in no uncertain terms let you know what getting older is not about. We tend to want to think of older people as necessarily being this composite of everyone’s grandmother and grandfather. The "Old Coot" is there to shatter that image. An "Old Coot" doesn’t think of him/herself as being "old" but as being "experienced."
"Geezers" are little tougher to identify because they try very hard to be inconspicuous. They do very little to draw attention to themselves. "Geezers" come in all shapes and sizes and sometimes they pass unnoticed until when in the midst of a group meeting there is that one person willing to take an unpopular stand because doing the right thing is the right thing to do. While it is true that "Geezers" do tend to take an uncommon satisfaction in waiting until the last minute to make their case that does not take away from the fact that they serve the rest of us as a kind of moral compass reminding us of where we are, where we have come from and what the real goal ahead of us is.
The "Old Coots" and "Geezers" out there are an ongoing source of inspiration for the rest of us.
Will You Be an "Old Coot" or a "Geezer?" I hope to join you in being one or the other and that like the 3 Stooges that we all come to "resemble that remark" either as an "Old Coot" or as a "Geezer."
Age well.
.....They turn into "Old coots" and "Geezers"
By Howard Chandler
Most people don’t know the difference between an "Old Coot" and a "Geezer." Even though they might look very similar they certainly act very differently from each other.
It only takes a little practice to learn how to tell them apart. A common misconception is that a "Geezer" is at least ten years older than an "Old Coot." Not true. There are plenty of 60-year-old "Geezers" out there and certainly more than handful of "Old Coots" who are in their 90s.
Another misconception is that coots and geezers are necessarily male — not at all true. While women are much better about disguising their cootness and geezerhood, they are every bit as susceptible as men.
Some people mistakenly believe that "Old Coots" later turn into "Geezers." That almost never happens. I’ve never know of an "Old Coot" to cross over to being a "Geezer" or vice versa — in theory maybe, but in real life it never happens.
"I resemble that remark" is a quote the origin of which I have narrowed down to being from Moe, Larry or Curly, but I have yet to be able to confirm exactly which one to give credit to. It is particularly appropriate because it is quite possible that some of you are now — or will at sometime be — an "Old Coot" or a "Geezer" yourself.
You don’t wake up one day and suddenly become an "Old Coot" or a "Geezer." Many people spend much of their life preparing for the role. Clear indications usually show up around 40, and by 50 those who are predisposed towards it cannot hide it and by 60 it becomes instantly clear which, if either, you are destined to become — assuming you are not already there.
Coots and Geezers are like two different sides of a coin. One isn’t better than the other — and though different from each other — you really can’t have one without the other.
So what’s the difference between them? Well the "Old Coot" is going to surprise you, while the "Geezer" is going to impress you.
The "Old Coot" just doesn’t do what most people expect him or her to do. We all have these expectations of what old people are supposed to do and be. When they do something that takes us by surprise we sometimes see them for who they are: "Old Coots."
You want proof: Talk to some 80+ year olds about their sex lives and you’ll quickly find out who is an "Old Coot" and who is not. An "Old Coot" will in no uncertain terms let you know what getting older is not about. We tend to want to think of older people as necessarily being this composite of everyone’s grandmother and grandfather. The "Old Coot" is there to shatter that image. An "Old Coot" doesn’t think of him/herself as being "old" but as being "experienced."
"Geezers" are little tougher to identify because they try very hard to be inconspicuous. They do very little to draw attention to themselves. "Geezers" come in all shapes and sizes and sometimes they pass unnoticed until when in the midst of a group meeting there is that one person willing to take an unpopular stand because doing the right thing is the right thing to do. While it is true that "Geezers" do tend to take an uncommon satisfaction in waiting until the last minute to make their case that does not take away from the fact that they serve the rest of us as a kind of moral compass reminding us of where we are, where we have come from and what the real goal ahead of us is.
The "Old Coots" and "Geezers" out there are an ongoing source of inspiration for the rest of us.
Will You Be an "Old Coot" or a "Geezer?" I hope to join you in being one or the other and that like the 3 Stooges that we all come to "resemble that remark" either as an "Old Coot" or as a "Geezer."
Age well.
