So, the other day, I’m having a chat with a woman in her 90′s.  She seemed quite irritated.  I asked her how her day was.  Here is how the conversation went.

Me. “How’s your day?”

Her: “It Stinks”

Me: “What’s so bad about it?”

Her: “Well, I just tried to go to the gym and it took forever to find a parking place and then when I finally found one and got inside, all the old people kept getting in my way, slowing me down!!”

Me: “I’m sorry to hear that.”  ”How often do you go to the gym?”

Her: “Every day, but I’m thinking of going to another one.  I don’t have all day to wait around, I’m busy!”

Me: “But aren’t you older than most of those people”

Her: “Maybe on the calendar, but not in my head!”  (she taps her head a few times)

The conversation went on for a few more moments but honestly, I don’t remember many more of the details.  I was floored that apparently, no one had bothered to tell this woman she was in her 90′s and that not only was she too old to go to the gym, but she probably shouldn’t be driving there.  Or, if anyone had told her, she obviously did not listen.

I sat there in awe.  Here was a person that refused to be defined by anyone else’s standards, pre-conceived notions or so-called conventional wisdom.  Here was a person that was being exactly who she wanted to be, doing exactly what she wanted to do and really not caring what anyone else thought of her.

I enjoyed that little talk so much.  It made me crack up but it also reminded me that it really doesn’t matter what other people think I can or cannot do. It’s all in my head and heart.  If we are honest, we have all spent a lot of time trying to live up (or down) to the expectations of others.  Maybe it’s time to tell the nay-sayers to go pound sand, kick some “old people” out of our way and get on with it.