a childs smile, an old woman alone...aargh!!

[tallguy297]

I dunno...I know that I'm a sop but surely I cant be the only one to feel this way...

I just went for a run...well jog. Ok, ok... a brisk walk... when I rounded a corner on the path and there was this little girl ...maybe 4 years old I guess...riding her bike just ahead of her parents. I was listening to some music but saw her look up at me and her face just lit up for some reason. This big toothy (with a few gaps) grin just broke out on her face.

Well dead set my heart just about leapt through my chest and I found myself grinning think about the innocence of youth, how good the world was....

But then not 500m further down the track there was a little old lady sitting by herself, just staring into the distance, looking awfully lost. I said hello to her and asked if she was OK and she said she was but she just looked...kinda sad I guess.

That pretty much put a stop to the good thoughts I was having. I mean heres someone whos done her time, lived her life, probably raised her children who have got their own lives... and she ends up by herself.

That just tears me up. I hate to see people alone like that.

So in the space of 10 minutes theres the 2 extremes of the human condition. I wonder if the little girl knew what was ahead of her would she be as happy?

Does any one else feel like this? Am I the only one who thinks like this? Surely now as people watching becomes a sport I can't be the only one touched by what I see....can I?

 

[looseliam]

I too smile and frown when I see people feeling like that.

As for the old lady, I would have sat down and tried to start a conversation. Well, depending on the area you were in.

That way I've met some interesting people with fantastic stories and life experiences.

 

[star-warrior]

This world needs a bit of empathy. Otherwise, it would be a difficult place to live in.

 

[twardmo]

sweet beginnings often lead to bitter ends, but the only thing you can do is make sure the ones you love don't end up alone.

 

[jft245]

How nice of you to ask if the lady was ok. Most people would have gone right on by without another thought.

 

[perkifactor]

You are not alone in thinking like this. you are very observant of the ironies and pain of the human condition. bravo.

 

[Rali_hates_Mondays]

It seems that a lot of the elderly, in particular women, are ending up on their own (without spouse or family to see them). I used to do community service every Monday and I would often visit the homes of old ladies. It was very interesting to listen to their stories and I remember having the most open conversations with some of them. What is most sad is that I can tell from the photos and their stories that they used to be energetic, fun, active, vibrant and youthful just like us and a lot of young people today. A lot of the women I encountered were disabled and sometimes I could feel their frustation in this.

It's made me more wary of old age not because I'm gonna lose my looks or anything as trivial as that. It's the possibility of losing my independence, the possibility of getting Alzheimer's or requiring a stranger to help me go to a toilet or even to help me bathe. I have a feeling that we are all going to live for an even longer age.

 

[Riverrick]

Yes, the two extremes. The child experiences life as a world full of people who love her and will never leave her and the elderly lady looks at the world with distrust and at relationships as temporary.

If we lived in small tribes, this would never happen. You would never be alone and people would only leave you in death. But the way we all live in our little houses and have our separate lives and move so far away from the people that we love just seems to lead to this situation.

It was nice of you to interrupt your fast walk () and stop and talk to her, Tallguy.

 

[Swellegant]

Don't judge too much by appearances... that old lady might have just been sitting there wondering why, after sixty years of marriage, her husband still squeezes the toothpaste in the middle. Maybe he was off buying ice-cream. Or maybe she likes being alone... a lot of people, old people in particular, look sad when they're thinking, just because their faces sag a bit. It was nice of you to take the time to ask, though.

Some children smile because they think you look funny, not because they're happy. And not all children grow up surrounded by people who love them... sometimes they grow up surrounded by people who barely tolerate them and would be better off being raised by wolves. You never can tell. Though a small child smiling does have the power to perk you up a good deal, no matter the reason.

Still, it's interesting to wonder what's going on in strangers' lives when you encounter them in your travels. I sometimes make up whole stories about them, some happy, some sad, some twisted... depends on my mood.

 

[Riverrick]

Some children smile because they think you look funny, not because they're happy.

Gee, well...that IS a possibility!

 

[tallguy297]

Don't judge too much by appearances... that old lady might have just been sitting there wondering why, after sixty years of marriage, her husband still squeezes the toothpaste in the middle. Maybe he was off buying ice-cream. Or maybe she likes being alone...

Some children smile because they think you look funny, not because they're happy. And not all children grow up surrounded by people who love them... sometimes they grow up surrounded by people who barely tolerate them and would be better off being raised by wolves. You never can tell. Though a small child smiling does have the power to perk you up a good deal, no matter the reason.

Yeah, as I was walking away from the lady all those things crossed my mind... I wondered whether I shouldnt have pressed her more like looseliam suggested...and then thought exactly what you thought mate..maybe thats what she wanted...just to be alone.

As for the child thinking I look funny...well the normal reaction is to run away screaming and crying....maybe she needed glasses...

Still she made my day...at least for a little while

 

[luminum]

Yeah, I get that way, too. Seeing the sadder parts of the human condition really gets me. It always makes me wonder if there was something I could have done if I just had the courage to do it.