I think the sixties are the new fifties. Before, when you thought of a person of that age you thought of an elderly person, but today seniors are people with a lot of life ahead of them and even are very fashionable. Look at Margarita Caicedo, who is gracing our cover this month she is a great example, always beautiful and active.
We don’t see many grandparents today wearing what we call grandparent clothing as they use to before. Some of today’s grannies wear lipstick, jeans, and heels and granddads are also very fashionable with jeans and sneakers. Today they take yoga classes, go to dances, and travel a lot, some are tech-savvy, go on dates, even start businesses, and have networks and social circles.
And make no mistake, this does not mean that they cannot be good grandparents, but that they are grandparents with style and full of life, sometimes many still have goals to achieve. Many modern grandparents nowadays don’t want to be called grandmom or grandpop but they rather be called Glam-ma, Yaya, Gigi, Mimi, or Pop-Pops so they don’t feel so old.
And these are the senior citizens that I especially love. The ones I feel give us life just by being in their presence. I love it because I know that despite whatever pain life has decided to give them, they choose to be happy and share that happiness with others. Some of them have buried one or more of their children and even many of their friends, others survived the war, but are still standing. That is something so special and that is why we at Palo Magazine always dedicate an edition to them every year because many times the elderly are those that many forget because of their old age.
My mother is 75 and happiness sprouts through her pores despite the fact that life hit her hard several times as well. This edition is for all the seniors whether you call them old people, the elderly, seniors, or like they are called in many Latino homes; welas, or welos, that doesn’t matter just never forget to treat them with great respect, and do not forget to spend time with them every chance you can.
Rosa J Parra
Founder & Editor, Palo Magazine