Hats off to you, Early Bird Diners

This past week I stayed in an historic lodge in Sebring, Florida that had seen better days. Peeling paint, threadbare bedspreads, a restaurant closed long ago. My wife has a phrase for places like this: faded splendor.
Splendor ... of the PAST. And maybe this is why the place was filled with senior citizens. Historic photos adorned the walls. There was a table with a jigsaw puzzle in the lobby. The coffee was weak for a generation that knew weak coffee because they had to stretch every food staple ...
... all which leads me to my point: that I have deep respect for most senior citizens. They and their parents helped build the greatest country on earth. They did so by working hard and sacrificing. Conversely, my Boomer generation is spoiled and narcissistic. We have morphed our wants into needs. I wonder: would we have the gumption to fight and win a world war as did our parents and grandparents?
So hats off to you, older Americans. I may make fun of your land yachts and your demands for free dinner rolls and your Sansabelt slacks, but you all have my thanks and respect for helping to create and sustain my own family's good life in this grand country.