June 30: Age has a way of sneaking up on us. Time passes without us noticing and suddenly, we are decades older than we believe. I remember my own Father saying that he didn’t feel 60, and I now understand what he meant. While there are markers along the road, like birthdays and retirement, we change in imperceptible ways and incrementally over time so it’s not a sudden and jarring event: Now I am old.
These thoughts went through my mind as my friend Kate and I went to Massey Hall last week to see Mavis Staples. Massey Hall is a lesson in aging in itself: What was once state of the art is now a relic of bygone days. It’s about to undergo a major renovation, overseen by KPMB – the architects who did Koerner Hall – so I’m really hopeful that the end result will be really special. The artist’s renderings of the project seem to point in that direction.
Mavis Staples is now 79 years old. She began singing almost 60 years ago as part of a group – the Staple Singers – with her Father and sisters. During her show, she mentioned that they were on the march to Selma with Martin Luther King in 1965. Romantically linked to Bob Dylan at one point, she has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1999) and the Blues Hall of Fame (2017), so this is a woman who has clearly had a “full and wonderful life”. But time marches on, and at one point in the show she left the stage, with a little help, for a short intermission.
That said, she still has a great set of pipes, and amazing stamina for someone in their eightieth decade. I was impressed and began wondering if I would be capable of something similar in my next decade. I remarked to Kate that it was pretty impressive for someone “just 10 years older than me” – practically a contemporary.
A couple of younger voices emerged from behind as we walked along Shuter Street. One kid said that it had been a great show but that Mavis “reminded him of his Great-grandmother”. Kate and I had a great laugh, and I thought about the old expression that you are as old as you think you are. Perhaps as age creeps up on me, I could do worse than follow the example that Mavis sets: live with principles, commit wholeheartedly to worthwhile things, and do something you love passionately.
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The following week, Kate and I took in a performance by jazz musician Herbie Hancock. He’s “only” 78 years old and, like Mavis, has been involved with music since he played with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra when he was 11. He too plays with passion and a commitment to exploring new areas of jazz. Perhaps there’s a fundamental truth here ….