Little things that are encouraging

Nathan

Nathan

SF VIP
Location
High Desert- Calif.
So many seniors(myself included) are disillusioned and dismayed by our perception of young folks being aloof, disconnected socially, and purportedly treating seniors like they didn't matter.

Well, today at the super market I was in the Produce section, trying to pick out a handful of Button mushrooms for salad. I accidentally bumped a mushroom that launched out of the bin and onto the floor. In the split second that it took me to realize and react, a young lady nearby stopped and retrieved the errant mushroom, and handed it to me. She was a very sweet person, and thought nothing of her kindness, which was just second-nature for her. It brings tears to my eyes as I recall the incident, perhaps we're too quick to judge...
 
Nathan said:
So many seniors(myself included) are disillusioned and dismayed by our perception of young folks being aloof, disconnected socially, and purportedly treating seniors like they didn't matter.

Well, today at the super market I was in the Produce section, trying to pick out a handful of Button mushrooms for salad. I accidentally bumped a mushroom that launched out of the bin and onto the floor. In the split second that it took me to realize and react, a young lady nearby stopped and retrieved the errant mushroom, and handed it to me. She was a very sweet person, and thought nothing of her kindness, which was just second-nature for her. It brings tears to my eyes as I recall the incident, perhaps we're too quick to judge...
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you mean the same way that they judge boomers as robbing them of their money ?:unsure:

I think you gettting tearful over someone picking up a mushroom for you, gives me the impression you must live in a very unhelpful area
 
A few months ago, I was leaving King Sooper's, about to exit, when a young lady approached the doors from the outside. So like the gentleman I am, I step to the side to allow her to enter the store. She stops in the doorway and asks me, "Why are you just standing there?"

Why am I just standing there? "I'm waiting for you to get out of the damn way, you stupid f*ckin' b*tch! MOVE!!!" was what I should have said, but I said it without the expletives or the anger. She wasn't all that young, either... maybe mid 30s. Obviously, dumb as a rock. Jeez!

I know, I know... sweet story.
 
The majority of young people I see, just seem to walk around all the time with a rectangular piece of plastic in their hand glued to an ear, it puzzles me why, but on rare occasions, I have been honoured to speak face to face, share a few jokes and smiles with young people. šŸ˜Š
 
I always appreciate the younger people in my building (who are disabled or they couldn't live here) who offer to carry my garbage out to the dumpster. Sometimes I get halfway there and one of them will hurry toward the ramp where I am to get the bag from me.

My neighbor across the hall had a teenager stop his car at the red light with his flashers on to jump out of his car to help her. Her mobility chair got stuck in some snow on the corner and she couldn't move it. He got her out.
 
Being short I have trouble reaching an item off the top shelf at the store.
When younger it was usually always a male who would offer to get it for me.
Now it is usually a female between 35 and 45 who does. One lady about 50
elbowed her DH and told him "Help that lady, what's wrong with you?"
 
Nathan said:
She was a very sweet person, and thought nothing of her kindness, which was just second-nature for her. It brings tears to my eyes as I recall the incident, perhaps we're too quick to judge...
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You will probably never forget that moment.

There was a day several years ago when I was feeling a bit low and a beautiful young woman walking down the sidewalk toward me smiled and said hello, and she seemed so very genuine, yet I knew it wasn't a cheap flirtation - just a person who radiated happiness and self worth. She lifted my spirits and I've never lost the mental image of that moment in time.
 
911 said:
We can find good, bad and uncaring people wherever we go. Unfortunately.
Itā€™s my opinion, that we have more uncaring than good people around us.

In Nathanā€™s situation, most people of any age would walk on by.
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Yes and from all demographics but I think location does matter, particularly size of the town. Tho there indeed uncaring and oblivious people very where.
 
Nathan, that is a nice story!
I connect well with young people around me. I find them kind, and thoughtful. In stores, I find them helpful and patient.
I am living in a state that has a majority of older adults. Patience, kindness, and respect for one another is well accepted.
 
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Nathan said:
@MACKTEXAS , not to get all metaphysical and stuff, but I think that Angels-God-the Universe or whatever will send someone from time-to-time to make a positive contribution, a gift of spiritual enrichment that will be enduring.
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I agree. Just as i've come to feel that i'm an instrument of the universe when I'm in right place at right time to help someone some way, i don't doubt it has many times sent others my way when i needed a mood boost or practical help.
 
This morning at the supermarket, I noticed the name tag on the young woman bagging my groceries, Layla. I couldnā€™t resist asking whether sheā€™d been named after the song. She laughed and said no, but added that she gets that question ā€œall the time,ā€ and that some people even break into singing it right there in the checkout line.
I mentioned that Layla came out in the early ā€™70s, probably forty years before she was born, and then asked if she knew the story behind it. She didnā€™t. By then sheā€™d already finished bagging my groceries, so I gave her the quick version: that it was inspired by a real love triangle involving Pattie Boyd, George Harrison, and Eric Clapton. Iā€™m not sure she recognized any of those names, but I told her to google it. Itā€™s a fascinating little slice of music history, and not the only song born from that tangled romance.
I added this story here because it was an enjoyable conversation with a high schooler who had a true command of conversation, engaged, and articulate in a way that made the conversation linger in my mind.
 
Nathan said:
So many seniors(myself included) are disillusioned and dismayed by our perception of young folks being aloof, disconnected socially, and purportedly treating seniors like they didn't matter.

Well, today at the super market I was in the Produce section, trying to pick out a handful of Button mushrooms for salad. I accidentally bumped a mushroom that launched out of the bin and onto the floor. In the split second that it took me to realize and react, a young lady nearby stopped and retrieved the errant mushroom, and handed it to me. She was a very sweet person, and thought nothing of her kindness, which was just second-nature for her. It brings tears to my eyes as I recall the incident, perhaps we're too quick to judge...
Click to expand...
I've been saying it here for a long time.

I have grandkids in their teens and early 20s and I've met a lot of their friends. I used to shoot hoops with kids at the apartments where I lived until a few years ago, and I currently live in a neighborhood where dozens of teenagers live. I talk to them, and they've all been respectful and -surprise, I guess- intelligent.

I think maybe social media is largely to blame for people's misconception about young people. The average young person is not what you see highly promoted there.
 
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