getting old and maybe too opinionated...

I had my birthday yesterday and plowing into the 50s a ways. Fatter and more gray hair.

I was in bedroom town getting my glasses tightened and leaving the store where I have to walk across the main run into the big parking lot that holds a grocery store and some other little places like the glasses place sort of in a strip mall. A teenage guy zooms into the parking lot and doesn't slow down as I approach from the store. Even though I think cars have to stop for pedestrians (at least crossing a real street), I would have settled for him to slow down a bit instead of going past the ends of the first 2-3 parking lanes pushing 20 mph. He whips around a blind corner of a row and finds a spot.

As he gets out of the car and heads wherever he's going, I ask, "Been driving long? Maybe you should slow it down in a parking lot."

He gets about 60 feet away and cocks off as walking away.



"Maybe you should mind your own business" I didn't think about it fast enough but it was my business because I had to stop for him to zip past walking to my car.

Instead, my hackles go up and my human side comes out and I say, "You're a smarta@@ kid. I hope you have a nice accident." No other words were spoken.

To be honest, I don't know how I would have replied at age 16 or 17 and maybe would have been mouthy as well. But then again, I don't think I look like Elmer Milktoast and have more hair in my stash than many teenage guys have on their body, so I don't think I look like a push over either and maybe my 16 or 17-year old self would have kept quiet. Certainly, I wasn't acting very Christian by wishing him an accident but then again Jesus wasn't a shy guy and probably would have spoken up when he saw wrong but in a more loving way.

I wonder if this kid has ever had any John Q public call him out on something? Maybe not. I hope he thinks a bit about the situation and his actions and not just my last words. Maybe he will, maybe not. Maybe I'm just too old and opinionated...