I often find myself thinking of how I will be as a person when i'm older; "older" being my Abuela's age. Obviously mentally I still feel as if I am in my early 20's but it is funny because I can remember when I use to wonder how I would be when I was 30 and now that I am here I wonder what I will be like in my 70's. Will I be rocking the gray short hair (oh goodness lets hope dye is still around and I still have hair)? Will I be considered super cool to my grand-kids (hmmmmmm)? Or will I be complaining all the time to my kids about my body hurting (it's already hurting so that's not a great sign haha)? Either way, I am left wondering what the future has in store for me.
One of the many things I love about my neighborhood is the mix of people. I have a handful of people my age and then there are the elder. I absolutely adore the elder! At least the ones I have encountered. For example, there is a group of women that meet every morning at the park up the street with their little dogs. They are an absolute hoot! I use to go there with Sedona all the time but not so much anymore. One women brings a little bag of carrots for the dogs. She keeps the bag in her pocket so all the dogs follow her around the park haha. Then there is this woman that will walk up and and down the main street by the house picking up garbage. She always wears the cutest visor and a pair of massive sunglasses that cover half of her face and I always want to go up and thank her for her help... buuuuut I haven't found the courage to interrupt her just yet. And then there is this man who looks like Santa Clause. He has the best personality. He wears suspenders and an old school trucker hat and I always see him walking his doxin. I never would have pinned him as the "conversation type" but he is! Although Sedona and I always seem to be walking on the opposite side of the street when we see him, he always stops and says hello to Sedona and I and laughs at how much bigger Sedona is than his dog.
Then there is Bob. He is my favorite. Bob wears an old baseball cap and walks (at a snails pace) every day (some days he will even walk two times a day if its cool enough outside). All the old peeps know Bob and will wave to him (I just love seeing that). He is the nicest old man with the prettiest blue eyes and boy does he love Sedona. Every time they see one another it is the same thing. Sedona plays super coy and hides behind me yet sticks her head out so he can pet her. Bob always says the same thing "Hey girl. Aren't you the prettiest thing I have ever seen!!" The last time we saw Bob his voice trembled as he told me he once had a dog that was a golden retriever and he was the best dog he could have ever asked for. It caught me off guard and made my eyes water. I was able to be a wierdo and catch a quick picture as he walked away... but this is Bob.
With every encounter I have with the elder in my neighborhood I'm gently reminded of how precious life is and yet wonder how I will be when that time comes. I see these people on their walks, with their dogs and all smiles and I'm thankful for the opportunity to see their appreciation for their life as it is.
