Pensioners’ day at Pick n Pay

Who else has had the opportunity to go to Pick n Pay on a Tuesday, Pensioner’s day?

I strongly suggest that those who feel they have it “hard” will get a reality check after going there just once. You will appreciate everything you have.

It is so sad to watch how much patience the pensioners exercise waiting in those long queues for the meager amounts they receive as a government grant from SASSA compared to our generation who cannot exercise any patience, even if the car in front of them happens to take a split second longer to move at the change of the traffic light.

Moving from each aisle you watch as they take an item off the shelf only to realise it is not within their tiny budget and they sadly put it back on the shelf.

You can count the items they have in their baskets, most of them stocking up on packets of soup and no name brands.

At each till it is the same sight, they check out their items, take out their tiny purses, out come crumpled notes and many bronze coins and with shaky hands they carefully count each coin, certain not to even overpay ten cents extra.

Old age is not a disease, it is strength and survivorship and triumph over all kinds of vicissitudes and disappointments, trials and illnesses.

The next time you feel like complaining, look around and see how much you actually have to be grateful about.

Respect and love the old for one day you will also be old.

Kubra Mahomed