Bernie's mittens

There he sits, buttressed against the cold, wrapped up in a warm parka and mittens on Inauguration Day. The cameras are rolling, beaming this historic event around the world. Most of the participants, mindful of the cameras and the occasion, are decked out in designer outfits, coats with matching gloves and masks, carefully coiffed hair that doesn’t budge in the breeze. But this is an outdoor ceremony in the middle of January. So Bernie Sanders put on what he probably wears to pick up milk at the corner store in the dead of winter, and off he went. In case you’re one of the few people on the planet who haven’t seen the picture, you can view it here.

Of course, the media had a field day, photoshopping Bernie into the Starship Enterprise, the 1945 Yalta Conference, the Sistine Chapel, everywhere. The Vermont schoolteacher who made the mittens had her fifteen minutes of fame. Bernie himself good-naturedly joined in the fun, and then announced that proceeds from the burgeoning merchandise would go to charity. But if you’re a senior, I’ll bet you didn’t laugh. You probably took a peek at that picture and saluted it with a nod of recognition. You might have said to yourself, Well, sure, if you have to sit through an outdoor ceremony in January, you have to bundle up those old bones. Bernie dressed the way a lot of us seniors dress in winter. He looked like us.

You really can’t mess with Bernie Sanders. A self-described democratic socialist, and the longest-running independent in US congressional history, he has advocated for progressive causes since his school days. He supports single-payer health care, paid parental leave, reduced military spending, gay rights, women’s rights, labour rights, free college education and aggressive action to fight climate change. As a Democratic candidate in the 2020 presidential campaign, this 78-year-old inspired a youth-led movement for sweeping social change, and almost single-handedly moved the Democratic Party to the left. He can wear whatever he wants, for heaven’s sake. So the media had their fun over his mittens, but the tone was light.

What does it take to be a role model for seniors? It’s not the age-defiers, the daredevils, the curmudgeons, or the plastic surgery junkies. I think it’s the people who wear their age with acceptance and dignity, who have grown beyond seeking approval from others, who have gained wisdom with their years and found ways to apply it where it can be useful. It’s people who are still engaged in the world and respond to the issues of the day with commitment and compassion. People like Bernie Sanders.