Signs That I Might Be Turning Into A Crabby Old(er) Woman

 

It seems shocking to me that the oldest Millennials will soon start to define themselves as ‘middle-aged’. Those born in 1981 are now 41 years old! I still think of myself as ‘older middle-aged’ but of course I’m not. Who am I kidding? Maybe I’m turning into a crabby old woman.

Or perhaps I’m already there:

·    I get increasingly annoyed by motorcycle and sporty-car drivers who zoom down residential streets, revving their engines. What is wrong with these people? What point are they trying to make? Some might say ‘only a bit of harmless fun’, showing off their toys after a couple of years of restraint. But is it too much to ask people to muffle their loud vehicles and noises? Canadians, remember?

·    Similarly – those who mow their lawns at 7 pm on a weekend night. And don’t get me started on those loud, gas-powered leaf blowers. Does one really need all that power and energy to blow a few blades of grass from the sidewalk onto the lawn? Surely, a broom will do.

·    People who walk ahead of you, smoking, their fumes wafting back into your face. Then they toss their cigarette butt onto the sidewalk and stomp on it. Are cigarette butts not litter then?

·    Drivers who tailgate. I’m always tempted to brake hard and fast. “Get off my ass,” I mutter as I glare at them in my rear view mirror. Like I said, crabby. And no, I’m not driving at the speed of an old lady, I’m doing the speed limit. I’m not above feeling a sliver of satisfaction after they zoom ahead only to come to a stop at the same red light that I pull up to a few seconds later.

·    The other day I was in a Bouclair store, buying a new, much-needed bedside lamp which I’ve been putting off for years, instead using a tall hall table lamp which threw light at the wrong angle and had me scrunching awkwardly in bed with my book. I took my treasured purchase, decided upon after lengthy deliberation, to the check-out counter. The young woman behind the counter barely glanced at me as she rang through my purchase, her head turned the other way as she continued chatting to her friend on the other side. “Have a nice day,” she deigned to throw my way, her head still turned toward her friend. The experience dulled the joy of my purchase, and irritated me considerably. This was a service industry, I was the customer. Shouldn’t some polite, friendly interaction be the norm here? Shouldn’t the existence and presence of the customer be acknowledged?

But then there’s also this:

·    A window cleaner who cheerfully waves at you. He looks like he’s whistling while washing, even though it’s unbearably hot outside. Now, there’s someone who enjoys his job.

·    A young waitress who takes a picture of you and your friends at the table and insists on taking a few more “just to be sure”. Another walks by and bends down to retrieve a purse fallen off the back of the chair.

·    A driver who stops to allow you to cross the street, even though you’re technically jay-walking (but it’s a quiet street). He doesn’t speed up behind you to indicate his annoyance, but gently accelerates and even returns your wave of thanks.

Back to those Millennials who are approaching middle-age.  I hope they will be more successful in redefining what aging means. I hope they will remove the barriers of ageism in our society, something that the Boomers and Gen X’ers have not been able to do. I may not be around to see their victories of crumbling these ‘isms’ but I put my faith in them and what it will mean for generations to come.