SuZan Klassen

The grandchildren and I played outside in the sunshine. The children rode their bikes in the driveway while I tethered the dog to the lamppost.

A young woman walked up to us carrying a satchel. She sang out in a chipper voice. “I’m in your neighborhood to sell this fantastic new cleaning product.”

The dog charged at her but stopped at the end of its leash.

The salesgirl jumped. Obviously rattled, she stumbled on through her sales pitches. None of which worked on me.

 

She pulled out her spray bottle and glanced around. But there was nothing to clean in the yard.

Next, she tried the sympathy sale. She told me how other neighbors helped her out. I still wasn’t interested.

Finally, she took a breath. She glanced at my grandchildren. “You must be grandma, right?”

I nodded.

“Wow!” Her eyes opened wide. “You’re young.”

I recognized a sales schmooze when I heard one.

She shrugged. “Well, my grandma’s 87 and she’s ancient-looking.”

I chuckled. I couldn’t help it. Each sales pitch she tried, failed. Poor girl.

After she left, my mind trailed off to a memory. Our circle of friends all turned 40 years old about the same time.

At one of our gatherings I asked, “What has surprised you most about getting older?”

One of the girls said, “I still feel like the same person inside.”

I think she spoke for all of us. When we’re younger, many of us look at older people and think they’re just old, boring, grumpy and ancient-looking. We don’t realize they are still the same people inside.

What has surprised you most about older people? What has surprised you most about your own aging?

Tell me about it in the comments below.

Until next time . . . Travel Light,
SuZan

Funny things happen no matter what age you are. Read some of them in my ebook, Grandma Brain

© 2021 SuZan Klassen. All Rights Reserved.