No Fool Like an Old . . .

Are there advantages to turning 60?

• No one bothers to card you any longer
• The younger set defers to you since you clearly belong to the aged
• Since fewer take you seriously, you can be honest

We had breakfast with our son and his roommate this weekend.  (They are fledgling doctors in first year medical school.) In the diner a photo of Marilyn Monroe, her breasts not totally covered by a gauzy blouse, gazed rather provocatively at us.  In conversation, I opined that I found it good to be "open" to people, to be able to look them in the eye when speaking to them, and that this, I felt, was important for a physician's "bedside manner."  Still, I remarked, with the photo in mind, I had a hard time looking Marilyn Monroe in the eye, bedside or not.

We all agreed --especially my wife -- that the remark was inappropriate.

So be it.  When you are 60, you can be honest and get away with it.  Some may even find your remarks wise.  Most, though, will find them foolish.  There's no fool like an old . . .