Stopping by an area senior center for the first time recently a well-dressed woman with an air of management about her sees me, hands me a sheet of paper that’s an application of some kind and directs me to, “Fill this out, you need a card,” and walks away.

Didn’t introduce herself. Didn’t ask my name. Didn’t know me. And, she just told me what to do.

One of the things in life that makes my blood boil is witnessing seniors like myself treated as if we are little more than toddlers, children. It’s bigotry, whether any of us realize it or not, that’s what it is.

Imagine, for a moment, four seniors sitting at the dinner table having dinner. Their ages are 64, 72, 86, and 95. That’s 317 years of life-experience sitting at the table. Anyone with an iota of interest in understanding the life they’re in would be wise to listen to what this much experience has to say.

Any of us even remotely interested in understanding the life we’re each in would be wise to listen to what these folks say or don’t say. Treating them as if they are 6, 7, 8, and 9 is inexcusable, and sickening.

It’s all about respect. I can’t tell you how many times those words, It’s All About Respect, have vied for the title of an essay.

By the way, I did not fill out the form she handed me. I threw it out.