Old Man Walking

~ beetleypete

As I set off with Ollie yesterday, I walked past two young mums pushing toddlers on the swings in the small playground. I had seen one of them before, and politely nodded to her as I went by.

The other young woman turned and asked her “Do you know him?”

The first one shook her head, replying “No, but he’s always here whenever I bring Chloe to the swings. I see him walking here all the time. I just think of him as the old man walking”.

This was all said less than twenty feet fom me. I presume they thought my craggy face and sparse silver hair also affected my hearing.

As I went through the gate of Hoe Rough, I was smiling. Their exchange had made me think of the film ‘Dead Man Walking’. In the film, a prisoner on death row is preceded by a prison guard as he moves around. The guard calls out “Dead man walking! Dead man walking here!” https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112818/

Perhaps I should employ someone to walk ahead of me?

He could call out “Old man walking! Old man walking here!” 🙂

65 thoughts on “Old Man Walking”

  1. Well, I can relate . . .I let my hair return to its’ natural color–which now, is white! I am still shocked at how differently people treat me! Folks hold doors at stores and say “Yes mam”! At work, younger teachers seem to worry-all of a sudden if I am doing too much! I am quite sure that my silver crown means I am less smart too! haha!

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    1. I feel sure they presumed I couldn’t hear them. I actually found it amusing, and of course to those two young women, I am old. Probably the same age as their grandparents.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  8. Haha! Now you’re taking David’s jokes from him.

    It is strange that people assume that someone who appears older than them must be slow-witted, hard of hearing, or physically challenged.

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  11. I am certain that the neighborhood kids think of me as that old woman. I certainly thought the same of neighbors my age when I was young. But I am old, so there really is no debate worth having.

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  14. When I was 20-something, anybody in their sixties was old. Now I’m in my sixties, I still feel 20-something in my head, but sadly not in my body. I don’t consider myself as ‘old’ though… not yet…

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  24. Hilarious! My own story: driving along with the grandchildren in the back, playing 20 questions. One says: -Is he young?
    -No.
    -So he’s old?
    -Yes.
    -Just old? Or Old-old, like Yaya? (Me— Yaya being the word for granny in Greek.)
    Good thing I didn’t crash the car, I had tears running down my face!
    However, I can still remember the time when I thought 30 was old. It’s all relative, isn’t it?

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  29. This is so funny! Like the town criers of old (well, and some still going). It would also help keep the distance for COVID-19 related safety. Pete, your sense of humour is very young. Stay well and keep walking! 😉

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