Project: Feeling Our Age

Sherrie P. age 69 , 2023

Acrylic  
30 x 24 in

Dream and follow through

Perhaps it’s because so many people tell me that I look younger than my age (69) that I haven’t really experiences age discrimination. And I’ve always been self-employed, so there’s been no potential discriminatory reactions from would-be employers. I have experienced gender discrimination instead. An example: I’ll never forget the time when I was working in my crafts gallery/shop around 1985 and an older sweaty gentleman representing the Chamber of Commerce (which I found out later is an organization deferring to employers, not employees) walked in. He asked for the owner or manager. I said I am the owner and manager. He replied “No but where is your husband?” He could not believe that a woman could be a business owner and decision maker. He wanted my membership, and to help me keep benefits away from my employees. Thank you and good-bye.

I feel my mind continues to be sharp, maybe because I am always learning, exercising, doing my artwork and teaching, interacting with friends, and perfecting my Spanish skills (I now live in Guanajuato, GTO, Mexico). It’s only my body that tells me my age in years.

My other passions are traveling, photography, music and the outdoor environment. Taking time to relax and be in nature (our new house has extensive gardens), and my boyfriend and I don’t currently own a car, so we walk everywhere in this walking town of Guanajuato. For the uphills, we sometimes take a taxi or an Uber! My plans for the coming years are to travel a lot, starting with exploring more of Mexico, attending lots of cultural events, making my art (encaustic and encaustic mixed media), teaching classes in my large home studio, and continuing to make friends, integrating into the ex-pat and local community.