BY HEATHER AND JOYCE RIGSBY

Even though I'm relatively young, when I take breaks from being a normal, nasty teenager (just kidding!), sometimes I wonder: What's it like being old? I mean, really, really ancient? Say, 25?

No, I was kidding again. But the question remains. Being in a modern high school, I can't see past my next English test--forget peering decades into the future and envisioning myself as old.

What Does Old Really Mean?
Old is quite a relative term. For example, while vacationing in a North Carolina cabin a few weeks ago, my 10-year-old brother Ryan was playing in a nearby brook with my dad and me. (Yes, my 44-year-old dad still remembers how to play, but it takes a lot of work to get him to!) While we were jumping from rock to rock, Ryan exclaimed, "Dad, I feel so young out here! It must be the air!"

Of course, this statement can also work in reverse: "But I feel so old!" Yet the cultural definition of "old" has changed many times throughout history. In the Middle Ages, if you were still alive at 35, you were living to a ripe old age.

I sometimes wonder if Noah ever felt old? After all, his most famous construction project lasted 120 years. (Not to mention that he was 600 years old when the Flood began!) And, if he ever felt old, what did Methuselah feel like at 969? With no nursing homes, retirement centers, or senior discounts, what kept these patriarchs going? Certainly not Social Security!

At the beginning of the book of Proverbs, King Solomon wrote a prologue explaining why he took the time to copy down all his wise sayings: "The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: . . . for giving . . . knowledge and discretion to the young" (Prov. 1:1-4, NIV).

I've never met an "old person" who didn't have decades of stories and advice in their head that they weren't ready to share. It seems to give the elderly hope and joy to find a young (or even middle-aged) person who's willing to listen to the lessons they learned "when I was your age." For me, these stories are usually very entertaining. (OK, there are some that bored me to death, but let's not go over them.)

My point is, ever since people started aging, the "old people" have loved preserving their life stories in the hopes that they'll never be totally gone. And what better way to do it than through the next generation or two?

In recent decades, America has seemed to be trying to break away from its roots. What could we, living now, possibly have in common with those old, wrinkled wise men of biblical times? It's the twenty-first century! We have wrinkle cream now!

Today is a lot less different from thousands of years ago than we think. Despite messages that "all kids today want to do is have fun" (which your friends may tell you), reality is quite different. About half of today's teens read for enjoyment. Many protect the environment, take a stand against smoking, and help other kids who have chronic illnesses. (When I cut my long hair, I sent it to Locks of Love, which makes wigs for children who lost their own hair to an illness or the treatment for it. Sorry, no gray hair accepted!) I have lots of friends who enjoy chess. You may want to challenge your grandson to a game next time he comes to visit. Or ask your granddaughter if she'd be interested in learning to knit. You might be happily surprised!

Whatever involvement you have with "young people," remember that verbal communication is essential--and even appreciated. Nothing creeps a kid out like an old woman staring silently at him over the top of her crossword puzzle. And don't worry about trying to be "cool." Most people my age seem to think the older folks that are the most fun are those who act like themselves, not 'N Sync. (Besides, your granddaughter may be a Backstreet Boys fan anyway.)

Instead, talk about what you like--even if it's just Bob Barker. The next kid you visit will be glad for your straightforwardness. Share all the cool stuff you learned "when you were their age." Teach them that corny card game you made up with your brother. Tell them how you got that scar on your ankle when you slid into home base. Tell them how you short-sheeted your counselor's bed at summer camp (remembering, of course, that they'll probably copy you when school's over). Whatever your souvenirs from the past, don't be afraid to share them with the next generation.

But remember not to get so carried away that you forget that they have their stories, too. Listen when they tell you about that awesome goal they scored in the last hockey game. Be happy for them when they show you the test they aced, even if their brother brings home A's all the time. Take them seriously when they tell you how hard it is growing up today--it's harder than you might suspect. If they ask for it, give them advice on what to do about the friend who's not speaking to them. If they cry, just give them a hug.

But you already knew all that, didn't you? After all, it was only a few decades ago that you were a kid who'd sneak over to Grandma's house for cookies, milk, and a listening ear. Compared to the thousands of years our planet has been running, the span of a few decades really isn't long--especially if you're Noah!

Speaking of Noah, I know we can't go back to when he lived (who'd want to?), but we can visit other cultures and see how the old people fit into their society. When I went to Juliaca, Peru, on a medical mission trip last October, I noticed how the kids, teens, and young adults tried to dress like modern Americans, while the babies, the middle-aged, and the old wore bright, traditional clothing. Despite the difference in dress and age, the young and old were really very close.

One of my jobs on this trip was to pass out American toys to the children in the hospital waiting room. These were really just tennis balls, plastic ducks, coloring books, and the like, but no one seemed to know or care that these weren't exactly the hottest items to hit American shelves. Kids would quietly saunter up to me and ask hesitantly for a toy. Or, if they were too shy, their parents would help them ask. Once they had obtained a toy, they would sit back down and play with it--as would their parents or grandparents.

Usually when one family member was scheduled for surgery, the entire family would come--grandparents included. Even the boys would kiss their mothers without saying "Yuck!" before going into the operating room. And when the patients would wake up, there would always be a parent or older sibling waiting just outside the operating room to comfort them.

Despite their many wrinkles and stooped posture, the old Peruvians didn't really seem old to me. They had strong spirits, which in turn made them strong all over.

Of course, you have to be strong to survive in a developing country. In America, strength isn't a necessity. Technology helps us live without much effort. But it seems to me that there's a different kind of strength that most old people have. It's an inner strength, a strength of character. Qualities like that are the ones you want to pass on to the younger people.

Not to mention knitting and chess-playing.

I see Heather has attempted to dispel some myths adults often have about youth. Now I'd like to take the opportunity to dispel some of the myths that she and other youth may have about the old.

I first read the following six myths in a local library when I found Age Wave, by Ken Dychtwald. I've listed Dychtwald's six myths in bold type; direct quotes are in italics; and I've ended with examples of people I know as well as some Dychtwald introduced me to.

My hope is that youth will grow into a more positive image of aging than is presently prevalent in the United States. Art Linkletter once said, "Senior Americans are not a separate race of people. . . . They're just an older version of younger Americans." (Youth might need to start a conversation with some older person by asking who Art Linkletter is!)

The Myths of Aging
Myth 1: People over 65 are old. "The great moments of your life are gone, and you can't expect any more."

Some people around this age aren't sure whether they're supposed to retire and stop, or start again. In 1889, when Prince Otto von Bismarck established the world's first state system of social security, the life expectancy in Germany was only about 45! "It is time to redefine old age in a way that matches the style and tempo of the time in which we live."

Hulda Crooks, at 91, had climbed 98 mountains, including Japan's Mount Fuji, since the age of 65. She spent her last years here at a retirement villa and did laps around the halls to "keep up her strength." A friend who hiked with Hulda Crooks some years ago mentioned his daughter's statement about her: "Her suitcase is worn, but her spirit is 17 years old."

Myth 2: Most older people are in poor health. "Wheelchairs. Canes. Oxygen bottles. Pills. Sciatica and broken hips. Most of the elderly are frail and disabled."

On his sixty-second birthday, diet and exercise guru Jack LaLanne "completed a mile-and-a-half-long swim in Long Beach Harbor, handcuffed and shackled, towing 13 boats filled with 76 cheering kids from the local Y. When he was done, his pulse was a mere 76. He repeated the feat on his seventieth birthday." I know a woman who takes a 30-minute morning walk, uses an exercise bicycle, and then attends a 45-minute exercise class in which she uses the five-pound weights. She's 96.

Myth 3: Older minds are not as bright as young minds. "Brain cells are slowly lost over time, so that older brains have markedly lower capacity." Of the 30 million Americans over the age of 65, only 10 percent show any significant loss of memory, and fewer than half of those show any serious mental impairment. Most of the losses in mental capacity happen to the very old, are not because of age itself, and may be reversible. Lack of exercise is one reason for mental capacity loss, and my brother is a good example. After retiring, he started working out for a couple of hours many times a week. He lost weight and is in a much better condition than before retirement.

Andy can tell an interesting and coherent story lasting more than a half hour to a large group of people. His eyesight is too poor to rely on the notes a younger person would probably consider necessary. He's 92.

Myth 4: Older people are unproductive. "They have less education to start with, old techniques and slow work habits that interfere with new learning, and rigid, stubborn attitudes." Older people perform most tasks--whether cutting with a knife, dialing a telephone, or remembering a list--more slowly than younger people. But other studies show that the loss in speed is often offset by greater abilities in other aspects of intelligence, such as fewer errors and wiser decisions. No consistent pattern exists to show the superior productivity of any age group.

Recently I saw a news clipping telling that Irene, who is a nonagenarian, has made 650 baby quilts and knitted 68 sweaters in the past few years. Thomas is in his 80s and volunteered to teach in a Beirut college, where he used to be president.

Myth 5: Older people are unattractive and sexless. "Wrinkles are inevitable, and they are ugly. So are drooping breasts, sunken chests, mottled skin, and bald pates. Nobody gets physically excited about someone who shows signs of aging." This myth dies hard. Check the media, and you will find that, for the most part, the world of romance is pictured as a young world. Current research is proving that men and women continue to feel sexy and sensual in later life. The Starr-Weiner Report was conducted on 800 older people between the ages of 60 and 91. They found that 97 percent liked sex, 80 percent thought sex was good for their health, 75 percent thought that sex was better now than when they were young--that it could be more loving and playful, and a real support between two people.

Myth 6: All older people are pretty much the same. "If you've seen one old man, you've seen them all. A woman after a certain age becomes a little old lady like all those other little old ladies. When we look beyond the myth, there is no age group more varied in physical abilities, personal styles, tastes and desires, or financial capabilities than the older population."

I have only to look around me to see nonagenarians who prefer to be armchair travelers. And then there's Jim, who, on a regular basis, puts in more than 20 hours a week and recently completed 10,000 hours of volunteer work. He's in his 90s. One octogenarian is very happy that her daughters shop for her clothes; another loved to try clothes on and shopped almost until her death in her 90s. Sometimes the inner drive to do things is there, but the energy is not.

Even though my body will age, I want to keep a young outlook. Heather, let me know when it seems that I'm slipping.

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Heather Rigsby is a high school senior at the Master's Academy who enjoys writing, skating, and ketchup. Joyce Rigsby is a freelance writer living in Loma Linda, California.