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.

Disillusioned...

As a child I remember the simple pleasures of Saturday mornings, the excitement of birthdays, the familiar comforts of family on holidays, the thrill of my first love, and the stresses of getting my homework done on time. In highschool friends were all around, you called them on the phone or spent the night and talked for hours on end about your parents- who you thought were totally un-cool and you friends thought they ruled, about your lame teacher, about the boy you were crushing on, or the popular girl you who you envied but never would admit to.
I grew up with an unfounded belief that family holidays were a given -that every New Years, Memorial Day,4th of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas would be spent at my grandparent's home with my aunts, uncles, and cousins; that Saturday mornings were the Myday- sleeping in until 1o or 11, eating CoaCoa Krispies until I was sick, and terrorizing the neighborhood with my friends; that my birthday was actually important which made me important.
As I have aged all of twenty-seven years, I have become aware that Saturday's are just another work day (for me), my birthdays will come and go unnoticed, the comfort of family holidays only exist with my ex-husband's family, no other relationship feels the same as that first one when you were a carefree teenager, and I still have the stresses of turning my homework in on time.
I have become a disillusioned adult...