Let’s back up for a moment. When I was in my late thirties, I had decided that people 50 or older were too old to govern and should be put out to pasture or a nursing home. Suddenly, one day, I find myself at the ripe old age of 60 and am sure that anyone 70 and over should be let go… as I get older, I keep moving the goalposts.
And yet many of those I have known got lost as early as their 50s, and others were struck with dementia or Alzheimer’s. And or some other debilitating illness.
At the same time, I have seen some incredible examples of individuals who defied father time and are still doing incredible work. I have family members and friends in their 80s who are still most alert and doing good work.
One of these special miracle individuals is the most incredible Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers Union and Founder of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, who works night and day on a broad band of issues and she is 93 years old. Another youngster in my life is Maria Garcia of the Tohono Odom tribe of Arizona and Sonora, Mexico, who is also 93 and is leading an effort to build a cultural center for the six tribes in the Magdalena, Mexico, area. And then there is Margarita Llamas Padilla at 101, originally from Jalisco, Mexico, but now lives in California. Recently, at a three-day wedding extravaganza in New Mexico. She hung out and did not go to bed early, and she had all her faculties about her. And she was up for all the breakfast events each day. I was most charmed when she asked me to hug her when folks took our picture.
But then again, there are some Congresswomen from Colorado and Georgia who are either too young or too lost intellectually/morally and might need to be put out in that pasture—or sent to a remedial educational institution.
While age is one barometer, it is also health and mental stamina, which are also essential factors.
I am not far behind age-wise of the two leading presidential candidates and feel that I still have a lot to offer and that my analytic abilities are as sharp as ever.
I have some friends my age who spend their time golfing and traveling, and that is all good. But I also see many, for various reasons, those who are already in assisted living homes. And I wouldn’t mind that if they would let me out during the day to go out to organize and cause a little trouble,
In the past five years, I have driven at least 50,000 miles each year, most of it by myself to do my border work and other human rights projects, sleeping in cheap motels, and not always getting a balanced diet.
These days, I now take more naps along the road or at the motel and ensure I get more rest at night. When I was a young wild stallion, I didn’t need the kind of rest that my body now demands.
While I understand better each year my physical limitations, I also have learned to ask for and accept help. But to be clear, my mind is in tip-top shape, and I am still learning and growing. You must continue learning to keep your brain working well.
Any yes, I could become your brown round humorous candidate for president.
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