I drove through McDonald’s yesterday morning and ordered my usual medium Diet Coke. When I pulled up to the first window to pay I was told, “That will be $.49”.
“For a medium Diet Coke?” I retorted without thinking.
“Oh,” the window-lady said, “I thought you said “senior” diet. A medium diet will be $1.29.”
SENIOR diet? I had never heard of a “senior” diet. And how could they sell a drink for $.49?
I pulled ahead to the second window and then asked, “What’s a “senior” Diet?” The window-lady held up a regular small beverage cup. Albeit the cup was a little smaller than a medium diet, I liked the fact that it was 80 cents less.
Then the conflict in my mind began. I hate the word “senior." Categorizing people over 55 as a separate, helpless group that needs charity, offends my sense of dignity. Long before I became a senior I believed that I would always be too proud to accept discounts simply because I have lived longer than the youngsters selling me products and taking pity on me. I have thrown away enough AARP membership offers to shut down a landfill. But now we’re talking the difference of $.80 a day – every day! That’s a savings of about $250 a year, allowing for holidays, and mornings that I’m running late and don’t have time stop.
Suddenly the thought of having to admit that I’m a senior became an economic issue. If you add that $250 to what I could save in theater tickets, hotels, airfares, eyewear…this could be significant! Maybe I could use Wayne Dyer’s approach and change my thinking about things I can’t change. Maybe I could convince myself that admitting I’m old is actually a step toward loving myself exactly as I really am. Or maybe I could see it as helping all seniors get their just rewards for the wonderful things we’ve given the world, like “The Twist”, The Beverly Hillbillies, and colorful additions to our vocabulary, like “groovy” and “stoned."
Amazing how greed can justify changing your values to accommodate your material needs. Jeffrey Skilling, (former Enron Chief Executive), had a little more to gain from compromising his values than my $250 savings. And, after all, I’m not lying or stealing – just taking advantage of my advanced age to save a buck here and there.
There – rationalization complete! I will proudly face the world as a “senior” - loving myself as I am, proud to represent such a wonderful generation – with a little extra cash in my pocket.
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