I was walking down an aisle to replenish my supply of Doctor Pepper. There in the aisle was an old man in one of those shopping scooters. I started to turn and go the other direction and give him room to navigate the aisle way when I saw he had a ball cap on with the name of a ship he served aboard. I walked up and said thank you for your service. He saw my Kitty Hawk cap, he smiled and replied the same. I always enjoy talking to another old sailor. He served on a guided missile cruiser from 1958 to 1962, while I served from 1963 to 1974. We shared old navy stories. He asked where I had been and I replied all over the far east as he did. I told him that in all that time I never got to go on a Mediterranean cruise, he never got there either. We both were sorry about that. After a few minutes we departed and both our days were a little brighter for having shook hands and shared a few moments of friendship. That was the only thing in Walmart that was free of charge.
When a man or woman lives as long as I have, they always have a story to share or some words of wisdom. Sometimes those words may seem outdated and they are, but other bits of wisdom are timeless in nature and are worth the time to listen to. Frequently young people are not interested in listening to an oldtimer. I have come to understand that and who am I to say what is right or wrong for another person, young or old? He or she has his or her own path to follow in life. Their path is different from mine. We can only offer our love and sympathy.
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