I think it is well documented, perhaps unfortunately, that I have a problem with people in the supermarket Express Lane who have more than 12 items in their cart.
Now, however, I've become so accepting of this that I don't even tally up everyone's purchases anymore. And I can't remember the last time I got into an argument over whether bananas should be counted as a group or individually.
For the record, my position is bananas count as one in a bunch, but that any banana not joined with another banana or bananas should count as a single item.
Um, I really haven't given the banana issue as much thought as it might appear. But then even if I was a bit on the fringe here it is no longer a big deal because when it comes to bananas you can call me mellow yellow, and if I might add, "quite rightly."
I mention all this because I was recently reading an article in the New York Times that suggested baby boomers are mellowing as they reel in the years. Actually, I've noticed this trend myself, although I just thought people were running out of gas.
Anyway, the reason for this evolving "whatever" mind set, according to the article, is attributable to boomers becoming more accepting of themselves and tolerant toward others.
Hey, that's me to a T. I mean, it used to really bug me when people talked all through a movie that I was paying 9 bucks to see. Now, well, I haven't thrown a Good & Plenty toward anyone in years.
I have to say I don't buy the generalization about mellowing. I think it is more selective. Some things you become more mellow about (bananas), while other things you don't.
I mean, I have not mellowed on other drivers. If anything, I have gotten worse, but then let's face it there are now more (anatomical exit points) on the roads these days so this isn't entirely my fault.
What has changed, however, is my reaction. I've taken to doing a running commentary on every other driver I encounter on the road. If you have even been on the same highway as me, chances are I have had something to say about your driving. While I see this as progress, people who ride in the car with me find it annoying for some reason.
In fact, passengers have begged me to go back to flipping people off. But, of course, I won't. I'm now way too laid back for that.
