I've never liked the terms 'senior citizen' or 'golden ager' because it puts me in a category with people for whom I often feel little affinity. Senior implies I have risen from junior but also, in today's world of political correctness, I prefer being known as a 'post pubescent emeritus'. Emeritus from Merriam Webster: Main Entry: 1 emer·i·tus Pronunciation: \i-ˈmer-ə-təs\ Function: noun Inflected Form(s): plural emer·i·ti \-ə-ˌtī, -ˌtē\ Date: 1750 : one retired from professional life but permitted to retain as an honorary title the rank of the last office held. From Wikipedia: The word originated in the mid-18th century from Latin as the past participle of emereri meaning to "earn one's discharge by service". Emereri itself is a compound of the prefix e- (a variant of ex-) meaning "out of or from" and merēre meaning "earn".
There is no question that before I hit the peak of my life and started on the downward curve, I was living life fully holding onto happiness when and wherever I found it. As with professors, writers, etc who lay claim to the title, senior citizen suggests that I am no longer young, yet I retain qualities of it and am still able to survive and enjoy where I am in life. Though retired from extreme physical exertion and chasing after the opposite sex, I don't feel as though I jumped into a totally new stage of life in a parallel universe but, rather, remain in a slowed-down extension my whole life.
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