generation gap....

I can tell I'm getting older. And, it's got nothing to do with my birthday arriving yesterday.

I couldn't believe what happened the other night....probably wouldn't have affected me 10 yrs ago...but this just sorta enraged me....

So....Last Friday, I'm ready to head back to Fargo after a one day road trip to Eden Prairie for my quarterly hair color and cut... yes, I know...at $14.95 haircut and $68 worth of gas to get it... that's something like the "priceless" commercial right? well that's another blog entry... but...

I'm leaving the Ridgedale Mall just after 9pm and decide to gas up in the little quick stop station located right there in the parking lot... I get my gas all while the attendant, all of about 20 yrs old, stands outside the little hut where you pay smoking a cigg... he says to me "hey, lady you're dog's really barking"...(I had taken Hazel along with me for the ride to keep me company for the day) to which I think "yeah, well she's just wondering why there's smoke coming out your nostrils".... so he follows me inside and proceeds to ask me if I'm goin all the way back to north dakota tonite... of course to which I think "ALL the way back to ND?"""

So just as I finish paying for my gas this elderly man, complete head of silver hair, nicely dressed, with somewhat of a Jewish accent walks in and asks the attendant "I'm looking for Hwy 12, can you direct me? I've got to find a town called Wayzateeeeee and I'm lost". I sorta chuckle cuz he doesn't even know how to pronounce the name of the town and he so reminds me of my Dad...but, wait, my Dad never would have stopped to ask directions.... OK Mom you can quit nodding your head now...

and this is what enraged me...

the kid goes "well just get back in your car and follow the signs"...

to which I'm thinking and want to shout "what the hell you idiot kid, if the guy could just follow the signs he wouldn't be in here asking you".... I mean, I can clearly see the elderly man is looking for someone to say "you go to the first stop sign and turn right, then turn right at the next stoplight, then stay in the right lane until you veer onto the ramp... then immediately get in the left lane and stay there..... you know that kind of directions... comforting ones at 9 pm at night when you should be asleep in the nursing home.

Anyway, so the elderly man says "well I need Hwy 12 and I don't see it and I've got to get to Maple Plain to my sons"... to which the kids says "well this is Hwy 394 and there's signs out there..." and the poor old man just looks at me...

Now I know how confusing it can be to get out of that mall parking lot and on the right path off 394 to the old Hwy 12 and up through Wayzata, Orono, Long Lake and on the road to Maple Plain. I can see his little wife sitting out in the shiny new gold Cadillac with Arizona license plates, looking concerned so guess what I end up doing?

Yup, I ended up going back to his car with him, telling him to follow me in my big white Explorer and proceeded to lead him out of his darkness and down 394... the opposite direction of heading west down I-94 way back home to ND....

But it felt good when I got him there and could see his big smile and hardy wave goodbye as I turned around...

also made me realize I'm in his generation...those of us without GPS or fancy phones with mapquest :-)

and what was the kid doing as we drove off? standing back outside his hut smoking another cigarette... and I just let Miss Hazel bark all she wanted ---