Slow down, you’re going too fast…

I wonder what this year will bring. I am too old to think in material terms anymore and besides, If I need something I buy it. No, I was thinking more in the way of life and death, good and evil and people at their best or heaven forbid, their worst.

For example, there were idiots still setting off fireworks at 1:00 am this morning in my neighborhood. While I bow to their freedom of choice to waste their money on fireworks and watch it go up in smoke, I do wish that they had more consideration of their neighbors who wanted to sleep.  1:00 am is bit much if you ask me.

Everywhere I go I see small acts of kindness and respect, just not enough of them. People holding doors open for others or picking something up that another person has dropped, all with a smile and a “You’re welcome”. I was struggling to get down something from a high shelf in the Home Depot just the other day and a voice at my elbow said, “Here, let me help you”. I turned and saw a very nice looking lady who happened to be taller than me (which is not unusual anymore) who calmly reached up and took down the item I needed. I thanked her profusely after I got over my first reaction of surprise and mentioned that the roles were reversed with her helping me instead of the other way around. She just smiled and pointed out that she was taller than me and that being a woman had nothing to do with it. Good answer.

It seems that good manners are getting to be a thing of the past and is dying out as the older generations pass on. Maybe, I am just out of touch with the world around me and not usually being in a hurry myself, am often reminded whether it is driving or just walking around a store, that others are and wish me out of their way generally in no uncertain terms. Even though they may not say anything, their words and action clearly indicate their displeasure that this old coot is moving so slow or taking too long or whatever it may be.

They may not realize that I am just as miffed at them for feeling this way. What happened to good old fashioned tolerance and patience. When did the world become a racetrack with people the cars all whizzing around and around and generally with no place to go but the need to get wherever it is in a hurry.

Life is too short to wish it by so fast. if anything, people should be slowing down to get more out of it just as I am. Whether by choice or old age, it takes me twice as long to get somewhere and even longer if I am working on one of my many home projects. Hopefully, by using my version of mathmatics, I will add  an additional extra couple of years on my life…