On my way to the drugstore...

I reached home before I remembered that I had meant to stop at the drugstore to pick up a prescription before coming home.  Slightly perturbed, I dropped my bags, threw in a quick load of laundry, told my teenage son I had to head out again, and jumped back in the car.
I drove, slightly too fast, through the tree-lined neighborhood, my mind singularly focused on the errand at hand.  I knew I would get irritated if anyone or anything got in my way - a dog-walker, a slow car, a bicyclist.  I just wanted to be done and get back home, strip off the work clothes, don my sweats and settle in.  Fortunately the road was clear.  
As I rounded a bend, I saw them in the distance.
An elderly couple it looked like, slowly crossing the street.
I checked my irritation - and my speed - as I neared.  Something about them commanded my attention.
They were similar in stature:  short, slightly bent at the waist. They took small, slow steps.  Each wore a hat.  He, a black, flat cap.  She - well, I didn't get a good look.  I could see each had alabaster hair curling out from under their head gear.  The waning afternoon was sunny, mild, yet each wore a beige sweater.
In the gentleman's hand was a cane, but he carried it by the shaft next to his side, rather than using it. "They're so cute" was my initial thought. "Just out for a stroll."

As I slowly passed them, I took my eyes off the road long enough to see that they were holding hands - tightly, at once supporting each other and loving each other.

My throat constricted.
I drove on consumed suddenly by the fear that I would never find myself in a similar scenario thirty years hence.  
I didn't even know I wanted this, until I saw it.


Quote of the day:  Grow old with me!  The best is yet to be.              ~Robert Browning