Yesterday, while in Schnucks, this older couple was shopping as well...we had passed them a couple of times in different aisles. They walked up behind us and said, "Let me guess...19 months apart and then 5 years." It took me a moment to realize they were talking about the spread of the kids' ages...I told them that the boys were 17 months apart, and then there was 7 and 9 years between them and Alivia. They were close in their guess...found out, after standing there talking to them for a bit, that they had children that are 19 months and then 4 years apart...very similar to mine. Then they continue on and tell me, "Yes, our oldest is 65." (!!!!! Emphasis mine!!!!!) Um, okay...I quickly did the math...even if they started at about 18, that would make them over 80. This delightful couple did NOT look a day over 65 themselves!! They were walking through the store commenting about the price of things, figuring out what to buy, which coupons to use (YES, they were couponing too!), and bantering back and forth like they were youngsters.
We swapped stories of couponing, the price of items, and such...and things about shopping with or without children (HA!). It was really quite fun! But what got me the most was how young they acted. They didn't complain about all these "young people" or how hard it was for them to get around (because clearly, they were both doing quite well in the physical department!) and were full of smiles and kind comments to a tired Mama with 3 kids in tow. It was truly refreshing to visit with a couple (randomly) that was upbeat and smiling, rather than complaining and grumpy!
It was a great reminder that no matter how bad we feel, or how old we are, we can offer a smile to someone else. No matter our age, we can chat with some random person in a store. No matter our age, we can swap stories with someone of a different generation.
I'm learning lately that older people sometimes feel dismissed...they feel that kids of today (and we're ALL considered "kids" to them!) ignore them, don't notice them, or just want to hurry past them to get to the next new item on the hot list for that day. I could have just smiled politely to that couple and lightly acknowledged their presence, but then gone back to my stressful and exhausting task of shopping and getting good deals. However, that's not me. I don't do that (intentionally, anyway!) and I didn't want to do that with them... I also realize that it's not all the "fault" of the youngsters of today...there are some "older" people that just like to complain. Plain and simple. They are hurting (physically? emotionally? spiritually?) and because of this hurt, they get grumpy with the people they see, they don't want to get up and go shopping or go run errands, they want to be left alone but not so alone that they get lonely. There is a delicate balance that needs to take place. We need to teach our children to acknowledge and learn from these older generations...they are passing away so quickly, it seems, that we're losing a great deal of their wisdom and knowledge. But we also need to help these older generations feel young again! We need to spend more time around them to help them feel young, help them smile again, and help them remember what it's like to raise children and try to shop with them! (I'd love any ideas on how to work on this little project....)
I'm so thankful I didn't dismiss them! It was a pleasant conversation and really added to my day! I only regret that I didn't get their names...how nice it would have been to possibly keep in contact.
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***I realize I haven't posted on here in a LONG time...I hope to remedy that soon. I'm really wanting to get things blogged more often...which will likely mean less Facebook time! LOL
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