I couldn't believe it when I read that Ringo Star turned seventy earlier this month. Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, and Al Pacino are among the famous folks who have joined, or will soon be joining, the ranks of the 70-somethings. Nancy Pelosi is also seventy and Barney Frank will be seventy next year. They are all employed.

But according to the "Health and Retirement Study" published by the National Institute on Aging, and recently reported in The New York Times, few people my age are employed. According to the study, only ten percent of men and five percent of women aged 70-75 are working full time.

I never thought of myself as being in the top (or bottom) 5% of anything. I just do my thing. But this statistic has been lingering in my head since I read it.

I'm not sure why.