Friday, March 2, 2018

Senior Discounts...Oh my...

Last week I went to Macy's and made a purchase.
The saleswoman said, "I love your hair!"
The compliment was especially meaningful to me because I recently cut the last strands of color from my hair...it's all natural.
Translation: Gray.
My hair is also naturally curly which does inspire a compliment or two on occasion but since the gray transition was recently completed, deep down I hoped she meant the color.
"Is that natural curl?" she asked.
So much for hope.
"Yes. The curl and the color is natural," I said.
"Well, I figured the color was natural but your face is so young, the gray looks great!" 
She is by far the best saleswoman EVER.
I thanked her and went on my way with a smile on my youthful face.
I stopped at Goodwill on the way home and purchased a book.
"Are you a senior?" The unsmiling checker looked at me, waiting for a reply.
I was still soaring from the "young face" comment.
I crashed to earth and said, (perhaps a bit too enthusiastically) "NO!"
I cheerfully added, "But I'll take the discount anyway."
He gave me the discount.
I choose to believe he was being nice, not that he thought I was lying about being a senior.
Because the truth is, I'm NOT a senior!

My best friend sent me this message last night:
"I just received my very first, completely unsolicited SENIOR DISCOUNT.
I don't know whether to be appreciative, or to cry!!"
I laughed (a knowing laugh).
She sent me a picture of her receipt.
That hit to the ego saved her a measly quarter.
We messaged back and forth about the irony of the senior discount.
It's not fun being on the precipice of a new "identity".
(For the record, I think 55 is a little young to be called a senior citizen.)
It's always a young kid offering the senior discount...a kid who has decades to go before he'll be accused of being a senior.
How could he possibly have the skill set necessary to identify a senior citizen with a quick glance?
He can't. He doesn't.
My friend said, "Asking someone as young as we are if they're a senior is like asking a fat lady when her baby is due. It is only through age and experience that we learn not to assume anything...a rookie mistake made by young people and oblivious old men."
She's always had a knack for comparisons.
She added, "We should embrace aging gracefully and enjoy the perks along the way.
She's absolutely right.
I've always loved a discount!

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