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.