The Beauty Parlor at the DMV

Photo by Gerrie van der Walt on Unsplash

I was at the DMV the other day in order to get the driver’s license that says No, no, this is a really trustworthy person, she won’t be doing anything that causes anyone any trouble of any kind.

It was a DMV that specialized in senior citizens, a place where for once you could be really glad about your advanced years because you got through the lines sooner. I thought it was swell of the DMV to think of doing such a thing. I wanted them to have had a committee meeting where they talked about how everyone should respect older folks, and realize what wonderful contributions to the culture we make; they should know how interesting older people were, too— full of stories that might entertain them, maybe even enlighten them, should they deign to look up from their iPhones. But more likely it was a committee meeting where they said, Oh those damn old people take so long with everything—let’s just herd them all into one place and hire a staff that knows how to be patient. (It WAS a patient staff, there. They had a sense of humor, too. One woman probably in her 80s was taking an eye test and the guy who administered it said good, you passed. Now I don’t have to worry about staying out of your way.)