How often do we think, “When I grow up, I want to be like…”, or later, “When I grow old, I want to be like…”? Lately, I’ve caught myself thinking along those lines.
Six years ago, when presents in our family became more and more beer-related, one of the gifts I gave my husband was a bottle of Hertog Jan Grand Cru. It wasn’t just the bottle that was special, but the fact that you could keep it in the brewery’s cellars for up to seven years, and come and pick it up during a visit. Years passed by, then COVID hit, and all of a sudden we found ourselves at the end of our allocated cellaring slot. It was time to go and retrieve that vintage bottle.
We arrived a bit early and decided to fritter some time away at the lovely old café in front of the brewery. There, on the stairs of the cafe, I saw her: an elderly lady, sitting and smoking, elegant, but bright and colorful, like an exotic bird, in a purple dress, a red fascinator and bold makeup. I could only breathe out a beguiled “Oh.” Amused, I entered the café, and saw that there was a whole chirpy flock of them, those ladies in red and purple. As it happened, they were about to join our brewery tour. They were members of the Red Hat Society, a club for women aged 50 and over, who wear matching attire and go out exploring together once a month.
While I watched them pouring themselves beer, asking about ingredients (“It stinks!” exclaimed one of them after smelling hops), chatting eagerly, and running energetically up and down the brewery stairs, I thought: “When I get to that age, I want to be like them. Travel, chat, see, and learn new things. Live to the fullest.”
As if to drive the point home, the bottle we picked up has aged just as beautifully.
Words + Photo by Lana Svitankova