Thinking about being Old

Several times I have been in a conversation with a new person and was asked my age. I proudly said 81. Then I saw an immediate shock on the face of the person who had asked me. Then I saw a second reaction that I can only describe as an emotional withdrawal. This has happened so often that I decided not to tell anyone my age. Did the other person think I might die in the middle of our conversation? Or think that because I am so old my thoughts aren't worth knowing? I have been puzzling over this for awhile. I decided to do a little research. Why did my age scare people? I looked up the statistics. In the United States only 3.5 percent of the population is 80 and older. In Vietnam only 2 percent are 80 and older. World wide only 1.9 are that age. So no wonder someone is taken aback by hearing my age. People in our age group don't go out much socially. We are a bit rare. A lot of us are too sick. Or have lost our minds. I have only met three people in my age group since I came here. The first was a Vietnamese man, who was bent over and gave me a toothless smile and didn't speak. The second one was the Vietnamese woman living with her family at the coffee shop. I mentioned her earlier. Her mind was gone. But she kept reaching out to hold my hand and looking into my eyes. Made me feel so sad. And yesterday I met one more. She was the grandmother of the woman who has a cluttered glass shop here. I like looking at all her things which spill out onto her floors and stairs and the front of the store. When I walked toward the store this elderly Vietnamese woman, Probably my age, reached out and took my hands. She smiled at me and pulled me into her arms as if I was her best friend. It had been a long time since getting a hug and I appreciated it. Then she opened the shop door for me and motioned me to go inside. But there was a motorcycle parked among all that glassware. No room to get around. The daughter, I am guessing she was the daughter, motioned me to go back outside so she could get it out. I did. And I tried to tell them that I would be back. But of course I am unable to talk here. I walked on down the street and about half a block away I heard them calling me back. I turned around and they were waving me back and calling to me. I yelled that I would return. They didn't know what I had yelled. So that is the extent of meeting people my age and older. No wonder I surprise people. I will do my best to avoid the question of age now. I would like to be treated like everyone else. I will just say that phrase, A woman doesn't tell her age. Why is the lifespan shorter here than in the United States? When people here are so healthy and thin and always active. Maybe because they have to work so hard. Maybe because they are poor and don't see doctors. Like me, maybe they resort to online medical advice. I have been scrolling through all the online advice. Told to pull my earlobes so many times to cure..... Tap under my nose to make me..... Told to drink another strange potion to cure..... Did you know that if you.....fill in the blanks....then you will.....fill in the blanks. I wonder how many of the potions the Salem witches had given out to their patients. I am trying them. Hope they work on my neuropathy. I still haven't had the courage to seeing another know it all doctor who offers his own useless advice. I am up to trying anything except seeing another doctor. Did you know that if you mash up garlic and tumeric and black pepper and mix it into milk that you can cure......