I can still remember the faded 1930’s Mickey Mouse tattoo Forrest had on his upper arm he said was inked during his years in the service.
I remember Forrest’s love for red and white peppermint candies and his even greater love for Pete, who was not only his dog, but also his best friend. I met Forrest when I was in middle school in the summer of 1999. Every other Tuesday, my dad and I would volunteer at the Orion Senior Center with Meals on Wheels and deliver lunches to senior citizens.
Forrest was just one of the many senior citizens I met in the ten years I volunteered at the center.
Most of the senior citizens had outlived their spouses, so life was very lonely for them. The days I would come with a paper bagged lunch in hand, their faces would always light up.
They longed for the company of human companionship after hours of playing solitaire. They always had questions about how I was doing in school. I would tell them, and, in exchange, they would tell me stories about their past.
I feel like many people hold negative stereotypes against senior citizens.
They are slow drivers, forgetful, dependent and stubborn. These are just some of the complaints against them.
Youth and beauty are celebrated in our day and age, but in other societies, those who are older are revered as wise.
Aging is something we will all experience in our lives, and hopefully, we will live to see our wrinkled skin and graying hair. But the media seems to portray that after fifty, you’re outdated. News flash — life goes on after fifty.
Sometimes, I feel like the people in my generation, who are now in their early twenties, are more afraid of aging than of death. Many people don’t take the elderly seriously. And why is that?
It seems like there is only a small window where people are taken seriously. Right now, I’m in the,? You’re too young to know what you’re doing? category.
And in about forty years, hopefully after establishing a career, getting married, having children and making a name for myself, I will be right back where I started. Instead, I think that in forty years, with all my experiences, I should be considered even more qualified at this thing called life.
I have learned my greatest life lessons from those older than me.
All my grandparents died by the time I was eleven, and while volunteering for Meals on Wheels, I made many surrogate grandparents.
Each one of them taught me something different.
I feel like we all need to start being courteous to those older than us, whether it’s a grandparent, a neighbor or a stranger. Because someday, that will be us.
Next time you cuss out a little old lady driving under the speed limit, think to yourself how you’ll want to be treated when the day comes that you’re in her shoes.
If you would like to volunteer to be a driver for Meals on Wheels, call 248-693-7709.

Monica is an intern at The Review.