Thursday, January 26, 2023

Apple - Falling - Tree


Have you ever seen those insurance commercials on how not to become your parents? This is a phenomenon I’m recognizing as I grow older.

          This week I was on my way to the car with a load of groceries when I heard, “Ma’am? Did you drop this?” One of the store workers was out collecting carriages and was waving a bottle of laundry soap at me. At first I said no, I already have mine, and waved a bottle back at her until I remembered I’d taken advantage of a ‘buy one, get one’ offer, and that other bottle was in fact mine. We ended up commiserating with each other about those people who, rather than walk five more feet to return their carriages to the carrel intended to hold them, wrestle them onto the tree belt in front of their car. I still can’t figure out how, with Florida’s preponderance of retired folks, anyone has the muscles to lift their carriage over the curb and drag all four wheels up.

          Later that day, while standing in a looong line at a store, the woman in front of me turned to comment on the length of the queue. Our conversation took us from our shopping habits and on to her mother approaching dementia, the number of items she was still returning from Christmas, and the dog she’d just adopted.

          I remember my mother used to strike up conversations with complete strangers and I would of course DIE from embarrassment.

          And here I am.

 

12 comments:

  1. You are sooo not alone. Mind you, there are some of my mother's habits I hope to NEVER develop (which might be famous last words).

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  2. Don't get me going on shopping carts.

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    1. Yes, that could be a whole other conversation.

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  3. I think we become more humane as we age. We accept that most folks are people who have the capacity for love, friendship, honesty, etc.and we are eager to share parts of our lives with them.

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    1. Funny the things we tell strangers, knowing that we're unlikely to ever see them again.

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  4. I like Tabor's comment. I too think as we age we tend to become more accepting of strangers. At least I think I am. And I really like seeing my mother when I pass by mirror. She was cool. :-)

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  5. My mother would run after strangers, not to converse, but to chastize the adult on the behavior of the child.

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    1. She sounds like a woman who knew her own mind!

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  6. I have tried very hard to not become my mother and I think I managed fairly well. I do some things she always did, clean dishes and sink before bed, always leave the house tidy in case you meet a friend and invite her home for coffee and so on. But my mother was far more social than me, she could move into a new town and know everyone on her block by the end of the first day. Within a week, she would know everyone in town and would always stop to chat to anyone and everyone. Me? no way. I'm a loner, a stay at home unless I have to go somewhere. I have neighbours I don't even know though I have lived her now over eleven years and I'm fine with that.

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    1. I'm pretty social, but I've discovered that sometimes I go into conversation overload, and just want to be home with a good book.

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  7. If you're standing in line there's nothing better to do, right?!

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Thanks for stopping by and I'd love to hear what you think.