You Make Me Feel So Young

B y Victoria Kozar
Victoria Kozar, a senior premedical student at Quinnipiac University and one of two Connecticut college students in the Students-in-Residence program, is living her senior year among the assisted living residents in Ashlar Village at Masonicare. You can read more about her experience on her blog.

“I’m going to be young forever!”

I looked over and smiled, as the last lines of Frank Sinatra’s “You make me Feel So Young,” drifted softly in the background. My friend and fellow resident Caroline repeated herself, in the most matter of fact way, “I’m going to be young forever.”

Caroline is by far one of the most spirited people I have ever met. From the moment I met her, as she danced down the hallway, blowing kisses to everyone who passed her by, I knew there was a lot to learn from her upbeat demeanor. Every time anyone asks her how she’s doing, she’ll tell you she hasn’t had a bad day yet, and she’ll always tell how much better it is to laugh than to cry.

Sinatra must have been onto something, as time and time again I see that some of the people most full of life, are my neighbors at Pond Ridge. I find it funny because I truly feel that they are the ones keeping me young, as the days are so full of fun and laughter. It makes you really think, what truly defines someone’s age? Is it the length of one’s life or the fullness in which they have lived?

Age so often has a negative connotation, with people saying things like, “Wow, I feel so old,” or talk about having a senior moment, but I firmly believe that the dialogue needs to shift. Aging is what we make it and this can only begin once it is embraced rather than feared. We need to disrupt the outdated beliefs and stigmas that come with aging, and realize that getting older is what we make of it. I’m so incredibly lucky that I get to surround myself with so many people that prove to me that age is just a number and really has no correlation to how much anyone lives. Some of my friends have just picked up a new skill, developed new interests, or just made sure to still joke at any chance they get. They keep their spirits high and the smiles coming, constantly reminding me that each moment is the chance for a new beginning or a childish grin. This is all the more possible when you’re surrounded by people, as Sinatra sang, that even when you’re “old and gray”, make you feel so young.