The sun is setting in the western sky, and as I sit on my apartment balcony, facing the rippling waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the disappearing sun, I look down at my hands, where they carefully folded on my knees. In my mind, I'm still pretty young. But my hands tell a different story. The reality is that I have become an elder. I am still young, in my early sixties. This is the new politically correct way of talking about older people in today's society. At 75, I will be old. My essay therefore begins with this awareness. Unlike my classmates, I'm in my early 60s, and 75 is closer to my reality than theirs. I would love to read their essays to see how 30+ years of additional life experience makes a difference in vision? I don't believe that life itself changes. There are always ups and downs, ups and downs, no matter how old a person is. What I believe is that if the individual is an enlightened person and understands what is truly important to living their best life, they are the ones who change over the years. Wisdom and experience play a very important role in achieving this understanding. That being said, my life at 75 is the result of a lifetime of enlightened experiences and reflections. My life at 75 is great and everything I hoped for. Is everything perfect every day and all the time? No, absolutely not. What seems to have happened is that a lifetime of learning has resulted in a different way of thinking and the development of new coping skills. Because I am very aware of this lesson, I share this way of thinking through workshops I have created and facilitated in my community and at the local college. The feedback I get from young and old... middle of paper ...... that when an older person believes in the negative stereotype of aging, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Children as young as six are already indoctrinated by these false attitudes. Studies further show a link between attitudes toward aging early in life and the incidence of health problems among these same individuals as they age. The author suggests that people internalize stereotypes of old age while they are still very young. This is the first scientific look at people who become the very people they have viciously stereotyped. This is an area of ​​great promise in terms of changing attitudes and stereotypes towards our older population, which is long overdue. The sun has set and the stars are beginning to twinkle. Another day in paradise ends and my evening has yet to be revealed. I have won 75 and am looking forward to the new journey ahead.