Old People Don't Smell--Bad

I should really post a picture of my next door neighbor Tommy here. He is a classic example of what it means to be old in South Philly. He reminds me why I love old people.

See, Tommy grew up in South Philly and then he married Lorraine. She's from South Philly, too, and in South Philly they raised their children and together they live and together they sit, on the porch, in their lawn chairs, everday. And they have been doing this for years.

Me? I love old people. I do, I feel like I really connect with them.

One of my favorite things about old people is the way they love to sit outside. But, its gotta be nice. On my block you can catch at least 2-3 old people per nice day sitting on their step, sometimes together, usually alone. No newspapers and no books. But, when I walk past, on certain special days, I can hear the music playing from inside of the house and it catches me everytime. And the music sounds sweet because I know the music is much older then I am and when I hear that jazz play I can't help but think "man, that old person is cool." So many times I want to sit down next to them and watch the people pass by together.

So many times I wonder what they think about, the memories that pass through their heads and the experiences they have had. I think of them, not individually, not collectively, but one at a time I think of the old people as I encounter them and I love to watch them watch me pass because then I become a part of their life. I become a part of their experience, jam packed into 80 or 90 years. I become part of that time and if they shall die the memory of me shall die too and experience and experience will be erased. And it is fantastic because the idea that my presence shall travel somewhere other then Earth, well, that just sounds extraordinary.

In the summertime is obviously the best time for old people. They don't seem to come out much when it is cold, understandably.

I have another neighbor, her name is Jenny. Jenny is 94. She is from South Philly, too. I have known Jenny all of my life, I just never knew how old she was until recently. (Age didn't start occuring to me until I become old enough to desire to be younger.) Jenny is amazing and she looks good too. I mean she has her wrinkles like the rest of them, white hair and all, but no hump, no cane, fake teeth maybe but man Jenny has got it together. She even has a little figure still going. What's her secret? The steps, it is all about the steps. Jenny is out there almost everyday--talking, laughing, making new friends, visiting old ones. Nevermind Church on Sundays, forget about assisted living and that shit they like to send my friends the old people to, all you need is a nice South Philly step--that is the secret to good health in old age. I swear.