[30] Start mentoring, says Garrison Keillor :-)

Rohit Khare (rohit@uci.edu)
Wed, 07 Oct 1998 21:53:55 -0700


Dear Mr. Blue,
I am 29 and have recently met a boy, 22, and have become smitten with him.
He is in an advanced degree program for philosophy and is precocious. Does
age matter? I don't think twice about seeing a man seven years my senior,
though I have to admit I easily tire of the mentoring that goes on. So shall
I fold this one up before it begins to take form?
The Older Woman

I am so charmed by the thought of a 29-year-old as Older Woman, I can't tell
you. Yes, age does matter, I guess, but beyond a certain point it matters
less and less. That is, it matters less how old you are than how many years
you have left, and not many of us know that for certain. A 50-year-old who
is taking good care of herself is younger than a 30-year-old who is hellbent
on destruction. But if you can be smitten with someone, then age difference
has already become a minor consideration. I say, if you're smitten with the
lad, smite him back, enjoy your romance, and should you wish to get rid of
him, start mentoring.

[PS. Salon seems to have lost the unzipped columnist for good]