We old geezers have a lot to offer

My very good friend, 76-year-old Rocky Chirchiglia, the famous local band leader, and I regularly get into some deep discussions about old age. We’re members of the over-the-hill but not yet under-the-hill gang.

He recalls some wise thoughts passed on to him by his parents from Calabria, Italy. My parents from Agnone, Italy, did the same. My mother often mentioned an Old Country proverb, “Old age and hunger are ugly beasts.” I consider this the dark side of the coin of living. Rocky talks about the flip side or sunny side of the coin, which for him is song and music. My bright side would be photography and writing.

We stay focused on our passions and keep on going. Rocky is like a fine-tuned Lamborghini and the writer like a Maserati, both in high gear.

Touch of immortality

Chirchiglia’s songs and music are on tapes and CDs and Lacivita photos and stories have been published — to live on long after we are gone.

A common misconception about senior citizens is that they are no longer valuable to society and have very little to offer. Baloney., with a capital B. I know many senior citizens who are the smartest kids on the block and can offer a huge supply of useful information at no charge.

The younger generation can be the beneficiary of this reservoir of knowledge, if they would only take time out to listen Many senior citizens are smart as the dickens and can share history in their own inimitable ways because they were there, living it.

X Michael J. Lacivita is a Youngstown retiree who spends time writing and making photographs — when he isn’t sharing stories with friends, young and old.