Many of America’s oldest workers said that they strive not to look or feel “old” — in the words of 101-year-old author Jack Weber, “Don’t let the old man in.”
Many workers said they would try to cover up their age however they could. Some women said they would try to dress younger or dye their hair, while some men said they would try to stay involved with physical labor at their construction sites or manufacturing facilities. Some expressed hesitation at first in telling me their age in case their coworkers, who thought they were much younger, would see the article.
Some workers said they tried to interact more with their younger colleagues, which helped them feel, in some cases, half their age. A few said they tried to learn the newest slang terms, while others learned AI fundamentals to feel relevant and “hip.” A handful said they felt they could learn much more from colleagues a quarter their age than from their older peers.
Adopting this mindset helped some workers develop longer-term goals, strive to continually improve themselves, and overlook the physical and mental hardships that come with aging.
“I feel much younger than I am,” said Patricia Casey, 80, who works as a librarian and media manager for a high school in Colorado. “For my 80th birthday, I took two girlfriends, and we went to Las Vegas, and I thought, this is going to be great. Then two weeks ago, I took another girlfriend to Cuba for four days. I don’t spend too much money, but I’m able to enjoy things.”
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