Never know who is going to enter your life

I went with the Husband to find him a new pair of shoes at Dillards.  I purchased a pair of flip flops for him, in a plan to get him to return them and find something he would wear.  These are my devious tactics to get him to buy new things for himself.  

He never thinks he needs anything.  When we got married he had six shirts in his closet and three pairs of shoes.  Slowly his closet is progressing.  The flip- flops were on display in a self-serve section at Dillards.  As he tried on different shoes, we couldn't help but over hear the sales lady chatting it up with another customer. 

Moments later, the sales lady approached us. Lidia stepped into our lives for a few minutes and will be a hard one to forget.  She had short white hair, large round glasses that drowned her eyes, and an over-sized button down shirt with long necklaces.   We really didn't have a conversation with her, we just listened to her talk.  Here are some of her comments.  She claimed German cognac kept her mind young and her body healthy.  She spoke with a heavy German accent. 

"Now that I am 83, working in Ladies shoes is too much work.  Women can't make up their minds and have to see every size and color. So I requested to be moved down to the Men's department. Much less fuss."

"When I moved down here to Men's it was just me and ten homos (looking at the Husband.) As long as you keep your back up against the wall you'll  be okay (she pats Husband on the shoulder as she says this.) Those homos sure are sweet.  Do you know that they will be the first ones to call me on my birthday, even before my children. Nothing like having homos care about you." 

"I am an 83 year old widow.  I have no sex life anymore. But I had enough sex in my younger years to keep my mind active. My beloved Husband was a stallion."

"I never hold grudges.  It is not worth it.  If I have a problem with you, I will sit you down with some tea and talk it out. Maybe you will be the one with the grudge, but at least I will feel better and live a more peaceful life."

What struck me most about Lidia was the passion for life.  You could hear it in her voice and see it in her body language.  We left the store with a new pair of shoes for the Husband and smiles on our faces.  Isn't it funny how people will enter your lives at a certain time and have an impact they don't even realize?  As I approach the next year of my life, I hope to live as long as Lidia and speak with such passion in my 80's.  I just hope my stallion is still by my side.