Talking about the weather

Went to the grocery store today.  It's a store near my home and the workers there are very friendly.  A cute-as-a-button young lady offered to take my groceries out to the car.  In the past, I rarely accepted, but now, I usually do.  It's a bit easier for me - I'm going to have to lug the bags at home and put everything away - plus I figure the employees probably don't mind the stroll in the Florida sunshine.

So, we talked about the weather. It was cold this morning; I'd say in the 40's and we had the heat on in the house.  By ten, it was a perfect morning of bright blue sky, light breeze with a temperature around 65.  So, we got to talking about how very cold and snowy much of the North was right at that moment.  The girl said, yes, I know, my boyfriend's from Montana.  "Have you visited his family there?" I asked.  "No, but..." she replied. 

Seems her boyfriend found a job in Montana, and she is moving there with him next month!  No marriage plans -- yet -- but she does plan to go to college and get a job there.  She's going to miss Florida, especially her job for one of the better grocery stores for five years - the company doesn't have any stores in that part of the country.  She sounded excited and I wished her the best, but inside my maternal instincts, and memories of my own adventures and mistakes, were kicking into high gear.

The petite lady looked like a high school freshman, maybe a hundred pounds, wore her hair in braids and had braces on her teeth.  But by the way she spoke and carried herself, and after learning of her years of work experience, I knew she had to be closer to twenty. So really not too young to leave the nest.  But a Florida girl  - in Montana?  She's never seen snow before!  Is there even a city in the whole state as big as Tampa or Clearwater?  To be with a boy?  Who hasn't proposed? 

This is why I enjoy talking to young people who are full of hopes and dreams.  I see myself and my friends in them.  I see my nieces and friends' children and get a taste of what their parents must be experiencing.  I'd say life is good for me in general, but some of the best moments in life have to be those when we were young and all the possiblities were ahead of us, waiting to unfold.