Yesterday I stopped by the chat with my friend's mother. My friend is out of town for a week and she likes one of us to check on her each day. I love visiting her because she is funny, laughs a lot at my terrible jokes and has a love of old films to rival mine. I'd just seen Hail Caesar from the Coen Brothers and we discussed Esther Williams and Roy Rogers and the like. She is still interested in so much, and that enthusiasm is contagious. She's seen it all and is wise, but without pontificating or advising. We had a long talk about how young women today don't seem to understand what we went through trying to work and raise kids. They're not curious. And they wait so long to marry and consider having a family that they push themselves up against the wire. It's painful to witness.
I lost my mother thirty years ago, so my friend's mother connects me with that generation. I love hearing about her view of what's happening today, and I value her perspective. Not all ninety five year olds are as sharp and aware, but she is an example of what good genes and luck can do for you. Physically she may struggle to get around, but her mind is as lively as someone half her age or half again.
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