Old People

I am sitting at my desk at work. An old man came into my office and because the snow is still coming down, the conversation turned to the weather.

He told me two stories about living in Chicago.

In the winter, everyone will shovel out a parking space and place chairs in the space to reserve it for themselves for when they return from work. One man spent the hour clearing out his spot and while he was retrieving chairs, returned to find that his neighbor had parked his car there. So in the middle of the night, he took his hose and sprayed the car down. The car was an immovable block of ice for the rest of winter.

Back in the 70s, during gas shortages, cars were lined up down the block. One man was in a little old car. Just as he was about to pull into a spot to get gas, a woman in a fancy Cadillac zoomed in and took his spot without waiting in line. So he parked his car. Removed his gas cap with his key. Walked over to her car and removed her gas cap and replaced it with his gas cap. Then he locked it on with his key. Then he drove off and left.

Heee heee!

He said, "In Chicago, we don't get mad. We just get even."

His wife just passed away a week ago.

He carries his sadness with him. You can see it just beneath the surface.  But I am grateful that he took the time to share two very funny stories with me today.

My grandma is not feeling well right now and though I know death is inevitable, I am feeling sadder than I anticipated. I will miss her when she passes.

Many of my dad's family are in Arizona this weekend to celebrate my Popop's 90th birthday this weekend. I wish I could be with them.

I am not grateful for death. But I am grateful for the many sweet moments that make death so difficult.