I'm not old, spunky or sassy

Yesterday was kind of an interesting day ... some of it was amazing, other things that crossed my mind were flat out depressing.

I got a chance to see "Jesus Christ Superstar" with Ted Neeley (he starred in the movie version in the 70s) as Jesus. The music was amazing and though I haven't paid attention to it since the 70s, I remembered every word. My goodness, I spent a lot of time in that music when I was young. It is so ingrained in me that all I needed to hear was a few notes of an introduction and I sensed what was coming next.

After the show, Max and I headed to our friends' house for the Superbowl. I was really looking forward to the halftime show and a chance to see The WHO perform. Just before it started, I got a call from my pastor telling me that he thought they would be too old to perform and it was going to be disastrous. That was almost funny, since he and I had participated in a small altercation that morning regarding the fact that I was NOT old just because I clearly remembered music from the 70s.

What was so depressing? Honestly, Mark was right. Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey are probably too old to be singing the same music they were making 30 years ago. The show was fabulous, amazing lights ... the drummer was Ringo Starr's son ... lots of electricity in the air. Daltrey seemed to warm up as the show progressed. But, there's something about a young band desperate to entertain their audience that is quite different than a couple of old rockers brought out to remind of us of our youth.

As for Ted Neeley? I get it that a voice wears out while you're on the road. But, he is a 66 year old man asking his voice to be as flexible as it was 30+ years ago and that's just not reality. He pulled off some of the screaming high notes, but there was more screaming than note involved and I cringed through some of it. I felt awful for him. And then ... there is just something terribly wrong with a man that old playing a historical man who died at the age of 33. When the cross lifted with him hanging there in just a loin cloth, I wanted to cry at the fact that I was supposed to be emotional about the death of a Superstar, but was wholly disgusted with the fact that an old man's nearly naked body represented the vitality of Jesus Christ.

I told Max as we were leaving that I would hate to place myself in Neeley's position - where people felt sorry for him and made excuses for him rather than believe he did a fabulous job. That's all I felt - pity.

Now, all of that being said, I come to a point in my own life where I have to ask whether I'm too old to do certain things. A post came up on Twitter asking what age was too old for men to have their pictures on Facebook be of them without a shirt - age 13? age 14? I'm comfortable with the fact that there are going to be things that are inappropriate for me to do now that I'm 50. Last week, I asked Max if it was going to be awful for me to still have brown hair when I was 65? I have no intention of going fully grey (in public - I can't help what is happening under the dye).

I'm entering a really exciting period of my life and I will absolutely freak out on anyone that implies I am too old to move forward with my dreams.

So, I feel like I'm walking a fine line as I register disappointment and a little disgust with old rockers who don't care that they sound awful hitting the high notes, yet want us to accept them at their worst and then refuse to accept that age might limit me.

Here's the deal - I promise to NOT hang nearly naked (ok, say in a bikini) on a cross at the age of 66 and I promise to NOT try to sing music that I can no longer sing in my 60s. But, I simply will not promise to always act my age or stop doing things that excite me just because it is deemed inappropriate by the younger set.

And, if I make those promises, I beg you to do a few things for me. NEVER, ever, ever, call me spunky or sassy just because I still use my brain to think creative thoughts or my body moves to a great beat. I'm just Diane - doing the same things I've always done.