Old Ladies?

Spoiler alert -- I had to plan the day. 

Good thing I looked up options for parking and lunch. 

No one did anything. 

It was good that I drove though. The woman who parked in my driveway couldn't back out. Ran over the grass over and over, almost hit the utility pole. Eeeek. It was awful. So awful, my husband texted me because of the camera alerts. She kept turning the wrong way. No exaggeration -- about 10 times. Wrong every time. She finally just chanced it and ran over everything to get out. I was just walking to help her when she pulled out over the grass and bushes. It wouldn't have been safe for her to drive in the city. She's only in her 60s -- I don't get it.

The Margaret Mitchell House was interesting. Obviously controversial with the black rights (or lack of rights) during that time. The museum tried to balance the perspective from the black community. Gone With the Wind was the first saga novel I read (actually read it twice as a teenager). It's so problematic, I know I wouldn't enjoy it now (maybe that's good news, growth, education).

Even with everything, the history of the novel and the movie was fascinating. 

We went to Mary Mac's for lunch. Iconic southern restaurant in Atlanta where we had the rehearsal dinner for the wedding a couple of years ago. I got the meatloaf. I don't eat meat often, but this is an absolute favorite classic. 

Sweet potato, collards, meatloaf

I dropped another garden donation to the food bank first thing.

Fresh and beautiful colors

A little chat about aging ... specifically aging women. 

The driving thing is a THING. Does it become that hard or do women stop wanting to drive and then they can't? I don't want to age that way. It's happening to women my age too. About half of my friends won't drive downtown, or certain highways, or long distances, or places they aren't familiar. The ones who do drive are left to do all the driving -- and apparently the planning too. This is part of why I get my panties in a bunch over driving -- driving means doing all the work of figuring out timing, parking, logistics. They absolve themselves of everything if they're not behind the wheel.

Another odd story involving women  ...

I asked our group if they wanted to get lunch on Wednesday after the election to just be together. I asked it at our Friday meeting -- brought it up 2 weeks in a row. 

It's like clucking hens. 

We may not know the results. 

It might be a run-off. 

We might lose. We might win. 

Yes to all of it. The point is to get together after a stressful night and long election. Just a little local lunch invite. I explained this multiple times and no one can wrap their heads around it. 

IT'S JUST LUNCH (!!!)

Should we wait and do a party?

Should we only do it if we win?

Should we wait until they take office?

I mean, seriously, WTH?? Why is this hard to understand? I finally said, if no one is interested in lunch, I'll make other plans. The response ... well, we won't know if we should go or not until that morning. And then they circle around to all the same points again.

I can't make this up. 

Every single time I bring it up, I explain it, and they act like they can't understand my words. 

If I had simply said, who wants to go to lunch next week, they'd give me an answer and that would be that.

These women are in their 50s, 60s, and one just turned 70. Why are they like this? There was one younger woman the first week when mentioned it who understood (not able to go) and reiterated the explanation to everyone. She got the same response. So it's not me speaking gibberish or being unclear. 

Lord help us. I want to take a poll -- who of these women are on HRT and who are not. I wonder if this is the line that gets drawn. I'm starting to pay attention. What makes some women *this* way and others not? It's like brains and abilities go to mush. 

It's that way with walking too. We walked to lunch -- a mile from the museum. We all agreed and happily walked on a beautiful day. They were tired at the end of the walk. They had trouble with the rolling (little) hills. They were breathy. We walked slowly and easily. 

Are they letting themselves become old?

I hope it's a choice or I'll feel doomed to age that way too.

On that note, I'm going to run at the park with Duke this morning. Sweet boy needs some fun too and I wasn't in the mood to hike the mountain. Not sure why, but my gut was pinging to not go. My ankle is wonky and I'm worried about stressing it before the next (even bigger) hike on Sunday.

P.S. During meditation yesterday, I asked for help with decisions. 

The answer: listen to your body. 

It always has the answer before your mind takes over. 

This morning I'm listening. 

Have a good day.

Later gators.