I worship my elders.

I've been meaning to write about something I feel very passionate about, so I may get a little emotional.

I dreamed the other night that I was at a cafe with my family and there was a little commotion in the corner. An elderly woman was obviously in physical distress, and no one would call emergency. No one did anything, and it made me angry, so I took care of her, made her comfortable and called the paramedics. No one was doing anything but sitting around, so after the paramedics came to get the lady, I yelled, "You're all motherfuckers, and you all need to leave now!!" And my aunt came out to confront me, and I pushed her away. I was calling everyone a motherfucker.

I woke up, went to work and called the Senior Food Bank to volunteer. They couldn't take me because of my work hours, but referred me to some other agencies for seniors. I haven't felt so good and right about something in a long time.

When I was flying to San Francisco the in-flight movie was Young at Heart, which I've been wanting to see for a while. I think I was the only one on the plane sobbing. Here's a clip from the movie that's beautiful:



Here's the thing, it gets me really angry to think about how society treats/thinks of the gray panthers. And the truth is, they've enriched my life in ways that not one of the ass holes my age could ever accomplish. I wasted my younger years drinking with dipshits, and searching out relationships with worthless males, instead of spending my time with people who matter.

Seniors have made us who we are...we would literally not be here today if it weren't for them, for their sacrifices and innovations. They're rich with stories, and listening to them is learning from them.

In fact, my job is based on the histories of these people. I work with photographs from pre-statehood to the 1960s. I don't know what the fuck I'm looking at if I don't have someone who remembers to tell me. They tell me, I tell the researcher, who puts the information together and gives us a glimpse into who we were. All the stories come together to define us, past and present come together right here.

The old timers have the stories of what my city was like before it was destroyed by Urban Renewal. Valuing seniors is valuing our culture and our history. Where we came from is a big part of who we are now.

And if I ever hear anyone say something bad about the gray panthers, I'll knock their teeth out of their fucking skulls.

I'll leave you with one final video: