High honors

I got one of the best compliments of my life today. After some internal debate, I went to an anti-war vigil outside the public library in commemoration of the third anniversary of the war in Iraq. Turns out the protesters/vigilers were mostly from the local retirement community who introduced themselves as "the fogey brigade". They also do a vigil outside the post office every Monday afternoon, some of them with signs on their walkers. So it was a few of us students and twenty or so retired people clutching at our signs in the wind, watching the cars drive by.

As Mary and I were bent over my sign ("Teach democracy by example, not by war") to repair the tears the wind had blown in the paper, she whispered, "Man, these old people are fabulous."
"Yeah, I hope I'm fabulous like them when I'm old."
"Oh, you will be. You have a good start on it already."