Quote:
Originally Posted by Acajack
So, thinking about this OP.
Based on what he's said in his posts over the years, Rousseau and I are virtually the same age.
One of the main differences between us is that I have kids (now teenagers) and he does not.
Now, getting to his question about "services", I can't say that I am feeling the same thing. Or if I am, it's happening very very subtly and I am not noticing it.
My health care and personal care providers tend to be millenials (doctor and dentist) or people my age (hairdresser - the aunt of one my kids' friends).
Obviously due to my kids I have lots of teenagers around all the time. My kids are also heavily involved in activities and I interact with their instructors quite a bit - these are generally people in their 20s.
I think the people I gravitate to in general are more similar to me in terms of social class and demeanour than anything that has to do with age.
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What prompted this thread was the sudden realization that I've sort of done what I've always found frivolous or amusing in others: consciously choosing a service due to feeling more comfortable with the provider.
A long time ago I recall an aunt complaining vociferously about how off-putting her dentist's personality was because he didn't engage in social niceties like asking about how her day. He made the interaction seem like a "conveyor belt." To me, I thought this was funny. If he does a good job, then who cares?
Well, it turns out that I seem to care. At least a bit.
My doctor is a millennial, and I'm happier with her than with the older doctor that she replaced when he retired. Even so, I think there is something about the age thing going on with me. It has to do with my "station in life," I guess. I'm in a gentrified downtown neighbourhood without too many kids around. Kids naturally take up a lot of time and headspace, so it's probably not as likely for a quick hello on the street to turn into a half-hour conversation on the porch when you're coming home from soccer practice.
But that happens regularly here, where the neighbours are in their fifties, sixties and seventies. We really let loose with the jokes, the innuendo and the teasing. Good "craic," as the Irish say. I'm now fifty-two, and I've noticed how incredibly easy my interactions are with older folks. The general lack of pretension once you get past your forties, the lack of insecurity about how you measure up in society or make your place, comes as a relief. You have to accept who you are and who you've become, because otherwise the bitterness and regret would be toxic.
Which is not to say that I avoid people below me in age. I like playing basketball with high school kids at the Y. It's great fun. I do care about the young folks. It's just that I care about the old folks, too. Maybe even a bit more.
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