1 Woman' s Vu by Nikki Stern

I hold onto the notion that I am young – well, young-ish. It’s generally easier to do on a bright, sunny day when nothing hurts too much – like today. But two articles in today’s paper reminded me that I’ve logged significant time on this planet. First was Wally Schirra’s death notice. He was in his eighties, but I remember him when he was one of the astronaut heroes we kids worshipped. When did he get old? Then I caught an op-ed piece in the New York Times that began: “Joan Baez sang at Woodstock. If you recognize either name, you probably already knew that. If you don’t, go to Google, then come back and help us puzzle something out.” There were some interesting points made about today’s senior military types being worried about her long-ago anti-war image. But I got stuck on my own point, mainly that readers might actually have to Google her – or Woodstock. I remember Baez, Woodstock and 1969 very well but I can’t believe it was nearly forty years ago. Which means that even on a nice, bright, sunny day, I’m feeling pretty bummed out, man.