Too Old for This

by Samantha Downing

Our stories are not as fascinating as we think they are. At least, not the ones we choose to tell.

At first, I thought she was greedy and arrogant, but she is so much worse. Kelsie is desperate. Nothing is more dangerous than that.

Being judged is bad enough when it’s correct. But being wrongly judged is the worst.

Death brings out the worst in people.

I think it’s because of how funerals end. Everyone walks out and continues with their day as if nothing happened. That seems sadder than the death.

Yes, people put their interests ahead of others’, even in times of tragedy. Accident, illness, missing child—it doesn’t matter. Self-interest always takes precedence.

His dark eyebrows shoot up, and he leans back a little. A distinctly male reaction to the word delicate. Women lean in closer, and men try to get away.

“The world does judge based on appearances,” Sheila says. “So we aren’t the ones judging you. Everybody else is.”

a trip to Las Vegas. The city was just a few hours away. It was a rite of passage for every teenager in the area.

most of our time was spent walking around the Strip,

I rarely post on social media, but not because I don’t understand it. I don’t post because I do understand. The urge to prove I have lived never goes away.

Is anyone ever ready to ask their children for help? I bet not. I bet every parent avoids that conversation until they’re incapable of having it.

What is it with these location apps? Is everyone tracking every family member?

When most of your life has been lived, you turn to the next phase. What will you be remembered for? Or will you be remembered at all?

Chances are I will end up a name on a family tree or the old woman in a picture that no one recognizes.

We all have a lot of hope for new beginnings.