Charley was a 69-year-old widower who was very active and went to the gym several times a week

Charley was a 69-year-old widower who was very active and went to the gym several times a week. He had retired as a high school English teacher and loved writing poetry and participating in a poetry club. Charley was also an active participant in his community and enjoyed the volunteering he had done. His friends Elizabeth and Norm encouraged Charley to run for the town council. He had all but decided to do so when he heard a conversation between two young people at the gym. They were talking about the "old geezers" who were running the government and how the country would be a better place if no one over 65 was allowed to run for office. That made Charley stop and think that maybe he was too old and should reconsider running for town council. What Charley had heard was an example of ageism. For more information about this topic go to Fighting Ageism from the American Psychological Association website.