Right at the light

I recall as child my mother and father's irritation with my grandparents (who are considerably up there in age) or some elderly driver going 30 MPH in a 45MPH zone.
I recall the old woman who would yell at me and my friends for stealing the oranges out of her tree and the proverbial old man yelling "Stay of my grass!"

I have picked up my parents bad habits. I have no patience with the elderly as they have never had much for me or now my children. There is the old marine down the way who lives to yell at the neighborhood kids, the elderly couple out for a drive when I am in a hurry, and the lonely lady who sat next to me in the waiting room at the doctor's office who just wanted to chat.

This last made me stop...I felt -bad- for her. I know why she wanted to talk, she probably had no one that wanted anything to do with her. Yea, her kids may call to check on her, but what or who did she have at home? So, we had a small conversation- one I enjoyed. She took me to memory lane. I love hearing old stories- truly.

This last week I struggled for a little more patience. My ex-husband's grandfather is 91 yrs old. I had to chuckle when he tried to give my mother-in-law directions back to his and Nana's house after we went out to eat...keep in mind she has been driving to the same house for the last 30+ years to visit them. To his credit, he is not used to being chauffeured and has recently been told to ease up on driving. So, to feel useful or show that he is still has his faculties, he tells mother-in-law "Right at the light."

I laughed inwardly. Why? Because of the fact the she took it like a champ, just nodding, humoring Papa. More out of respect than not, I am sure. She was patient and kind- never sharp or condescending as I have been shown to be.

I learned something yesterday- the elderly are put into a position by us youth who are in a hurry, annoyed and disrespectful in many ways. We do not listen to what they have to say, may it be advice, small talk, or memory lane. They do not like feeling helpless, they weren't before Time decided to play an ugly joke on them as it is on us all. Papa reminded me that he is still very much the man he was of his youth- only a little more frail.

Guess I have been an ass up until yesterday...I will have to fix that.

Cosmic Joke

The Powers-that-Be decided to open the heavens and dump a foot of the stuff I hate the most on us. As a result, my kids are given 2 snow days and 1 delay...normally I would go out and throw a few snowballs at their heads in an attempt relieve myself of some of the stress they have laid at my feet. They- in turn- would machine-gun me with their white amo. The odds are in their favor 2:1. However, for the last week, I also been blessed with the worst illness I think I have ever had. So, they get to run around outside, while I watch from indoors. They are off of school, I am not. College only lets out when the heavens have imploded upon our dear city.
So far, I sound like a bah-hum-bug pesimistic hag. However, one must understand that for a week my stomach has been warning me about ANYTHING that comes in is hazardous to my health and bottom has been confused as to what function it is supposed to perform.
It amazes me the number of M.D.s there are in the world. I have had many people, helpful they may be, attempt to save me a $15 co-pay by giving me their own diagnosis- ranging from the 24-hour flu to a stomach virus. So far, I am betting I would have had better chances if I just paid the $15.