It’s nothing new. It’s part of life. But it’s still hard to take sometimes.

The day/week/month when you feel like you’ve slipped over the side and fallen into a pit of saggy skin, thinning hair and inability to understand how to program a new phone. Dang it, inside you’re cool and limber and ready to go hear that band that starts playing at 10 p.m.

Outside, you’re yawning and really okay with watching reruns of ER.

Or is that you don’t want that look that the younger-than-40 set gives you when you enter any place catering to younger people…that “I hope he/she doesn’t die on my shift.”

The smile that is reserved for “older folks.”

The “how are we today?” greeting that could incite violence if you’re not only your best behavior.

How are “we” today?? WE are tired of being looked past, patronized, humored and dismissed! WE are wise, seasoned, contributing and more often than not totally cool people who own authentic tie-dye and saw Cher and Jane Fonda prior to injections.

We are 34 percent of the U.S. population—people over 50. That’s approximately 108 million. Almost 45% of us are still employed. We watch television. Eat out. Listen to the radio. Read books (yes, actual books). In fact, our spending contributes more than 8 trillion to the U.S. economy annually.

We buy houses. Take Lyft. Use apps.

Some of us drive down the street with our sun roof open and ZZ Top blasting out for all to enjoy. (You do know Billy Gibbons is 70, right?)

So it’s understandable that we might wince when we get a “ma’am” or a “sir.” Sometimes it’s just a sign of respect, or a figure of speech. But we all know those times when it feels a bit condescending, like we have to handled carefully because we might not be able to catch up.

GRRRR.

Not sure what the solution is, other than for younger types to remember we aren’t that far past you, and you might be real surprised to learn our interests are pretty close to yours. And maybe it also calls for some of us over a certain age to keep sharp, stay informed, and get out those Spencer Davis albums.

We can love where we are in terms of age. We have lived through some really fascinating times. We’re still going strong. Maybe we occasionally need to put some purple in our hair. Or just eat whatever Keith Richard and Betty White are eating.

In other words, stay young forever (in our hearts) and catch the early concert.

And never stop rockin’ it!

“I’m not old. I’ve just been young for a long time.”

Anonymous