Today at work an older customer was distraught and crying. I asked how I could help. She explained that she was driving a rental car due to a wreck she had last week, and she had lost a contact lens. The customer was afraid to drive home without the contact lens for fear of having another accident. I told her not to worry, that we would make sure she got home okay.

Cindy, a young lady from the store, agreed to drive the rental car to the lady's home. I followed in my vehicle to take Cindy back to the store. We arrive at her home in one of the more beautiful old neighborhoods in town, and helped her get her groceries into the house. As we left, the customer thanked us and hugged us, but I could tell she was still having a difficult time. I told her I was sure the rest of the day would be better and said g0odbye. As we left I noticed her name beside the mailbox next to her door. She is something of a local celebrity who had several books published in the 1970s and 1980s.

On the way back to work, Cindy told me that she didn't ever want to get old. Of course, we both agreed that there is no alternative. This episode made me think about life and aging. I came to the conclusion that men are the lucky ones in this matter. We nearly always die first, thus we rarely have to face our final years feeble and alone. Of course, the flipside is that the women we love and leave behind often are faced with spending their final years alone.

Morbid? Yes, but it's something we must all face. Life can be difficult, but most of us find the courage and faith to persevere to the end. I think that in many ways women are stronger than men in this regard. Women seem to do better alone that men do in their later years. I pray that when the time comes that my wife must face those final years alone, she will have good health and independence and the faith to carry on until the end.