Old and In Love

I’ll get to the subject of the title in a second.

But first I want to say: if you have an idea and you can’t act on it in that exact moment, do yourself a favor and write it down. It doesn’t matter what idea it’s for; whether it’s a post, a video, a song, a recipe, you’re going to forget. That’s just what happens.

For me, I’d have forgotten this story I’m about to tell if I hadn’t added it to my “blog post ideas” tab on Evernote.

I’m sure glad I wrote it down, cause it’s a good one.

I’m not a coffee drinker. I’m actually pretty happy about that. It makes me feel like I still hold an air of originality in this world where trends are so huge. Coffee doesn't fit in the same category as a trend like fidget spinners, I suppose, but still, I feel like I’m resisting some type of oppression by not drinking it.

My point is if you see me in Starbucks, which wouldn't happen often anyway(Caribou is way better, no cap), I’m probably not getting coffee.

I found myself in a Rapid City, SD Starbucks one cold winter day. (I say “I found myself” because I was probably lost to have wandered in there. Ok sorry, I’m done with the digs at Starbucks. Not really sorry though)

Anyways, someone offered to buy me a hot drink, so I elected for some hot chocolate. As I waited for my drink, I looked around at the people and the place. I was in Rapid City for business, and I had never been to this location before.

My attention turned to an elderly couple who had just picked up their drinks. The man had a long white ponytail; that’s probably what drew my attention at first. Maybe the fact that they were unwrapping straws was interesting to me as well. I wondered why they would be ordering cold drinks on this frigid day.

The woman tore off one end of the straw package, put the unwrapped end in her mouth, and blew, shooting the rest of the wrapping off the straw and into her husband’s face. They both chuckled.

He repeated the routine, ripping off one end and blowing the rest of the paper into her face. Again, they chuckled.

I smiled. That’s what I like to see. People seem to think the goofiness and fun that accompanies young love just disappears with age. If you’ve seen the movie Up, you’ve no doubt seen Pixar’s depiction of a relationship that didn’t lose that.

I feel like I got to see a bit of that in real life.

That’s how I hope it goes for me someday. 80 years old, ordering cold drinks from *Caribou* on an already cold day (gotcha. one more time, Starbucks) and shooting paper wrappers across the room. We’re genuinely thrilled to be around each other.

Old and in love.