Despite her self-doubts, Cindy Wood was clearly pageant material all along. It’s in her genes. Her mother, Jerrye Short, wore a crown. And a few weeks ago, Wood won hers. The thing is, both women waited until they were in their sixties to compete. And sure enough, both women — Wood, 62, and Short, 85 — hold the title of Ms. Senior Georgia, sponsored by the Georgia Classic Club to promote an active life and a positive image of aging. (As a side note, both women also were named Ms. Congeniality in their respective years.) “You don’t have to get in your rocking chair and rock your life away,” said Wood, who taught English to Speakers of Other Languages for four decades in DeKalb County before retiring last year. “We have so much to offer.”
Q: Your mother was Ms. Senior Georgia, too?
A: My mother was crowned in 1997. My sister and I had never heard of such a thing as the Ms. Senior Georgia Pageant but we went to support her. We went every year after that. These women really have lots of vitality and a zest for living.
Q: Why did you decide to enter?
A: If you had asked me when I first started going if I ever would be up there on stage, I would have died laughing. The more I was around these women, the more I realized that they epitomize the way I want to age.
Q: How do you want to grow old?
A: I want to age gracefully. I want to be active and make a difference in others’ lives. I want to continue to do the things I love. I am not about to get too comfortable. I think that is the problem as we age. We don’t want to step outside our comfort zone.
Q: How have you gotten outside your zone?
A: This summer, I came up with a plan. I was going to run the Peachtree Road Race, which I hadn’t done in 12 years. I had wanted to volunteer with the Red Cross, which wasn’t outside my comfort zone but giving blood was. The third thing was to be in the pageant.
Q: Were you surprised you won?
A: I think I was in shock. The other contestants were fabulous women. They were so amazing and inspiring and I got far more from them than I know they got from me.
Q: What was your talent?
A: I did a Southern monologue. Once I put on my hat, gloves and pearls, I become Miss Magnolia. I say funny things about Southern-ness. It doesn’t make fun of anyone. A man came up to me and said, “I never laugh. You made me laugh.” That is a supreme compliment.
Q: You had to give a statement of principle. What is your belief?
A: You have to have passion in your life. For the last 40 years, my passion was the classroom. I did a lot of innovative things to get my students to learn and be successful. But now I have to redefine that passion. My passion this year is going to be being Ms. Senior Georgia and promoting the pageant and aging gracefully through an active and involved lifestyle.
Q: What does your husband think about you being Ms. Senior Georgia?
A: He told me all along that I was going to win. I guess I’ll always be his queen. But I don’t think he is going to let any of this go to my head. The night I won, I was on cloud nine and he said, “I got some spots on this shirt. Can you please try to get them out?”
The Sunday Conversation is edited for length and clarity. Writer Ann Hardie can be reached by email at ann.hardie@ymail.com.
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