So I walk out to the mailbox to get my Monday mail, talking to my sister on the phone as I go, and lo and behold there's my AARP card! Okay, well not my actual AARP card -- but my temporary fake AARP card and an invitation for me to join AARP. And instead of bursting into tears as I expected to do when this day arrived (by the way, THANK YOU AARP, for not timing its arrival on my actual birthday -- that might have sent me over the edge) I burst out laughing. Hysterical, full-on belly laughing. Granted, I started laughing so hard I almost cried, as there is a fine line between crying and laughing -- but all in all I found it extremely amusing and not as traumatic as I expected.
It did, however, make this big 5-0 thing seem real for the first time. Yes, getting my sister's plane arrival info made it seem real too. So have the daily birthday cards I've been getting from Mom for the last 40 days (a card-a-day 50th b'day card countdown). And my sister's own helpful countdown on Facebook (which she messed up today as her birthday was yesterday and she had too much champagne so she thought it was still 10 days today when it's really only 9) But the AARP thing? That makes it FURREALS!
So, my friends who have already surpassed this milestone ... what do I do? Pay to join for a year, three years, or five years? Are the benefits worthwhile, especially if I have to work another 15-20 years? Are the discounts worth it?
I look forward to the wisdom of my elders ....
Hotel discounts - good. Amount of junk mail received by joining - very bad. I let my membership lapse after one year to save trees.
ReplyDeleteI like their magazine - some good articles. And hotel/motel discounts - yes. (Tho' if you have AAA, those are usually the same, and you can use one or the other, but not both.)
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