Yesterday I was in the grocery store, the checkout line to be exact, when the adorable cashier behind the plexiglass told me it was Monday so I would get my 10% senior citizen discount. It took me off guard because I’m actually not a senior citizen. She pointed to the small red sign posted on the plexiglass and smiled.  I proceeded to read the small sign and realized you must be sixty to qualify for their discount. At this point, my heart sank.

I’m not going to lie, it hurt my feelings.

I desperately want to make it to sixty and beyond, but I’m not there yet.

And, let’s be honest, no one wants to be mistaken as older than they actually are.

When people assume I’m a senior citizen, it can only mean that I must look like one, right? The lady behind me must’ve seen my expression fall because she immediately said “you don’t look sixty,“ to which I smiled sheepishly. The cashier, realizing her mistake, didn’t make eye contact for the remainder of the transaction.  Bless her heart, I know she meant well.  But…she probably shouldn’t have assumed.

I walked out to the parking lot feeling every bit of my fifty something years, and then some.

As soon as I’d loaded the groceries into the car and settled in for the drive home, I called my husband and told him what happened, he wasn’t nearly as upset as I was.  His first response was, “it’s your hair.”  This has happened to me a few other times and I do feel that it’s largely because I have a head full of gray and white hair. I believe this because my face hasn’t aged a decade in two years (I hope), but my hair has.

This got me thinking how sometimes we make assessments about people based on what we can see on the outside. Most of the time we have no idea what’s going on in the life of someone else, but we look into their life and make a quick assumption based on what we think we know to be true.

My gray hair has taught me not to be so quick to make decisions based on the exterior, sometimes things aren’t at all what they appear to be.

For me, I’ve had gray hair since I was in my 30’s, and I could certainly have been a fully gray haired person in my 40’s, I finally gave into it in my 50’s. But, if you didn’t know me, you might look at my gray hair and assume I must be much older.  You wouldn’t have the benefit of the whole back story and that would make all the difference in your assumption.   

The exterior alone is deceiving.

We’ve got to be careful with quick assumptions.

Well, I’m finally adjusting to it, the gray hair, I mean.  And having these types of encounters is something I’ll need to get used to as well, the gray hair is not going anywhere, and neither are stereotypes and assumptions.

I know this gray headed girl is not going to do so much assuming.

Just because something looks “sixty” doesn’t mean it actually is.

In case you’re wondering, I did not accept the discount, but next time, I just might!