I was shocked and may have been a bit rude

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

37. Oh, my.

A couple of thoughts. First is that I live in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The entire state is very Hispanic and Native American, which I love, Anglo that I am. One thing that I love about living here is the respect given to older people, especially to older women. I NEVER get a traffic ticket, even when I really deserve one, because to the cop who stops me I look like Mom or Grandma (even though I'm not remotely Hispanic) and they are not about to ticket Mom or Grandma. I've also learned not to chat up young people in the grocery store check-out line ahead of me, because they will then invariably insist I go ahead of them, which is not what I intended. Although, sometimes, I will invoke elder privilege and ask to go ahead. But not very often, I promise.

The other thought is about my ex husband. He's Jewish, but simply doesn't look, act, or sound "Jewish". All of his life he's found it very interesting to be able to essentially pass, and listen in to what others are saying. He also knows how to let other Jews know he is one of them, and I saw that in action more than once. Oh, and on our honeymoon, we went to Poland, which is where all of his grandparents were from. While we were there, local Jews would suddenly show up, and start talking to him in English. They could always tell he was one of them. Me? I was invisible to them. It was an amazing and wonderful glimpse into another world.