[Talk Host]

Okay, here goes, and I have my flame suit on.

So often I hear people say, and I read here, things like, "what's your hurry, we're all retired." I've seen people dead stop in traffic and wave others across saying, "I'm in no hurry, I'm retired." There was recently a comment about grocery store checkout lines and "what's your big hurry."

Well, normal pace is not necessarily "hurry." The whole world operates at a certain pace and any interruption to normal pace can bolix up everything. From time to time, I encounter golfers playing slowly, saying "What's your big hurry," while they back up the entire golf course. People doddle after dinner sitting for long periods because they are "retired.....what's the rush." Never mind that there are people waiting outside for a table.

Is it okay for the ambulance to slow down because this is a retirement community?

I don't feel that just because a person is retired, they should automatically "slow down to a snails pace." That is an invitation to lethargy and an abdication of responsibilities for order in society. I'm afraid an airplane will not wait for us if we drive slowly to the airport because we are "retired."

Now, I know that some are going to say, "Well Talk Host, do you want us to run around at break neck speed?" Read carefully, I am not saying that, I am saying that I believe retirement is not a license to slow down the whole world. Until the day we die, we all have a responsibility to help keep things running smoothly and on time. There are three speeds, slow, normal and fast.

[Russ_Boston]

This is a weird day - I think I actually agree with you TH!

[Bogie Shooter]

Drove on Buena Vista, north of 466 this PM. When was the speed limit changed to 50 MPH??

[Boomer]

Well, TH, I don't have any comment on the rest of the stuff you said, but that thing about tying up restaurant tables hit my hot button. That one has nothing to do with being retired and feeling no need to hurry. That one has everything to do with a sense of entitlement and quite simply being downright rude.

People waiting in those lines are not considered in the least by those squatters. But also, they never even remotely consider the server who is trying to make a living while a bunch of clueless, rude, self-important weenies sit around at the table long after they are finished and keep that table from turning.

And thinking about such a situation makes me wonder, but not for long, if the sense of entitlement that reigns supreme in such a scene just might correlate with the propensity to be a lousy tipper. Anybody who does that to a server in a busy restaurant should be willing to at least finally stand up -- in more ways than one -- and leave a serious amount of tip on the table for that server. And I do mean a serious amount.

How would those table squatters like it if the servers came to their place of work and camped out in their offices or whatever and tied up their computers or whatever.

Well, I know, TH, that one does not have anything to do with being retired and not being in a hurry. That one has to do with an across-the-board display of an absolute lack of anything even close to just plain havin' a little class.

Geez. I feel so much better now, TH. Hey. Thanks for asking.

Big Picture Boomer

[l2ridehd]

TH I agree. I want to get in as much as possible between now and when I cross over and that means not wasting time anywhere. Now I don't mean run through life as fast as possible, but also don't waste time unnecessarily.

[graciegirl]

Excellent thing to think about TH. I think that each of us was born with a certain rate of speed built in and it seems to be the rate we feel comfortable doing things.

But your other points are well taken too. It is often the difference between being responsible or irresponsible. Boomer, your point is well made too, about taking so much time at restaurants that we take away from a servers income.

AND of course there is that old "parent tape". How many times have we been told, "Get a wiggle on, we're going to be late". It too may be related to the size of city we lived in and the kinds of people who raised us, taught us and lived with us.

Excellent thing to think about.

[NebraskaRon]

Retired and slow are two different things.

Retired means I get to choose what I am going to do and when. It does not mean that what I am doing is not important nor that my time is any less valuable than when I worked.

In fact, in some ways I seem busier now than when I worked -- despite a rather responsblle job. As I told a friend recently that asked how I liked being retired, "I am not sure how I ever found time to work!"

Sooooo, being retired is a poor excuse for being slow or inconsiderate.

[billethkid]

slowing down because one is retired or old(er).

It has all to do with the totally unacceptable speeding, running red lights, rolling through stop signs or not stopping at all, racing around the round-a-bouts and the some times pushy shovey folks that just can't get to the front of the line fast enough.

The majority here in TV live life at a reasonable pace no matter the age. Then there are those few, but way too many, that think the rules and courtesy are not a part of life....anywhere.

btk

[Rag Bagger]

Mind if I take time to think about this?

[rshoffer]

Here's your hat....

[Talk Host]

Originally Posted by rshoffer

Here's your hat....

[Pturner]

I'm guessing, "thinking cap".

[Boomer]

TH, he is probably alluding to the idiom, "Here's your hat. What's your hurry?"

Boomer

PS: Do I get a prize?

[Pturner]

Originally Posted by Boomer

TH, he is probably alluding to the idiom, "Here's your hat. What's your hurry?"

Boomer

PS: Do I get a prize?

Boomer,
Speaking of idioms, I would say, "your guess is as good as mine"-- except that yours is better. "Hat's off."

[quill]

As much as I wnted to let this go I just could not. Boomer your quote

"People waiting in those lines are not considered in the least by those squatters. But also, they never even remotely consider the server who is trying to make a living while a bunch of clueless, rude, self-important weenies sit around at the table long after they are finished and keep that table from turning."

After having lived in Europe for over 15 years of my life I find the American attitude to eating out extremely strange. In Europe if you have a table it is yours for the evening, there is no expectation from the restaurant or server that you will be leaving any time soon. And in fact one of the biggest complaints I used to hear from Americans was that they could not get served and service was slow. After living this for a while I cherished getting together and going out to dinner and talking and having a nice multi course meal. Instead of having my food thrown at me and having the check put on the table before I was done with my food. And we did tip on top of the fact that the tip is built into the bill over there. We have found the easy way to avoid waiting is to eat when the crowd is not. Been in restaurants in Sumpter when 7PM rolled around and we were the only ones there. Big difference and it is difficult to understand unless you have actually lived it, is that Europeans like to live life on another plane of existence. They seem to enjoy life more than we do. We run around with our hair on fire. I do not consider myself self important, clueless or rude. When I eat out with friends, I do it to enjoy their company and the meal. And again I tip well.