OMG, I just got attacked by a dirty old man!

[Wallydraigle]

Wow, I'm still getting over this. About thirty minutes ago I was at a public spring getting some water. It's right by the road, and everyone arond knows about it so there are usually a couple of people there. When I got there there was an older couple with about fifty one-gallon milk jugs filling them up. They were about half done. They both looked about eighty. The lady saw that I had only one jug and told me that when they got done with the jug they were filling I could fill mine and leave. The man agreed. It took between twenty and thirty second for the guy to finish what he was doing and then I stepped up to fill my jug. When I did so the man totally flew off the handle. He started yelling at me about cutting in front of him. I told him that he just told me I could but it didn't matter. I tried to calm him down by telling him that I would just be a second, but by that time he was trying to shove me aside. I am probably twice his weight. I never said another word after that, I just backed off. I didn't know if he had a gun in his car or what, and he was quite obviously out of his mind. Also it would have been incredibly tacky to exchange harsh words with an Alzheimer's-stricken old man. At first I was kind of ticked off. I was on my way home from work anyway and I didn't need that snag in my afternoon. But it's really kind of sad. Besides not being able to remember things he'd said just moments ago, I felt sorry for him because he was so jealous of life that he couldn't spare half a minute for kindness' sake. I hope in my old age I don't become a petty, shrivelled-minded crack fiend. I don't want my last memories to be like that. The whole thing's ironic because it was all over some water, that was flowing right out of the ground, and belonged to no one. Oh well.


So, does anyone else have any stories about being attacked over something dumb?

 

[LordMaul]

If he was a true Alzheimers patient, he wouldn't be doing that because he wanted to - he doesn't know what he's doing.

My grandfather had it...

 

[Beau]

Originally posted by: lirion
I felt sorry for him because he was so jealous of life that he couldn't spare half a minute for kindness' sake.

I'd be ticked too. Once you're as old as him, you'll be counting every second, cuz you don't have many left


I was attacked by an old lady with a walker when I went to visit one of my great-grandparents in a nursing home a few years ago. She just went off and started swinging her walker at me. I don't know why, I couldn't understand a word she was saying.

 

[Wallydraigle]

I don't know if he actually had Alzheimer's or not, but there was certainly something wrong with his mind. It was like he had totally forgotten ever saying a word to me.

 

[sheselectric]

I didn't know public springs existed.

 

[Wallydraigle]

It's a natural spring that is so close to the road that it isn't really owned by anyone, and anyone is free to come and get water there. It's not state sponsored or anything. It's just convenient, and on public land. And the water is great.

 

[element]

I'd be ticked too. Once you're as old as him, you'll be counting every second, cuz you don't have many left

There are plenty of people that don't have many left that are not complete aholes. In fact just the opposite. Not an excuse to act like a jackass unless it is from some illness that affects the mind or are peeved for a good reason IMHO.

 

[Nitemare]

Can see it now "When Geriatrics attack"

 

[spazntwich1]

I've had a lifelong addiction to water.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

dude that sucks for you and him. I feel for his wife too.






ps. you might not want to drink that water afterall.

 

[Carbo]

The old man also has bladder problems. Enjoy your "public spring" water.

 

[MacBaine]

Wait wait... forget the old man... tell us more about this spring. It's just coming out of the ground? You're drinking this water without filtering or cleaning it? I am really not understanding this... pics?

 

[Wallydraigle]

The old man also has bladder problems. Enjoy your "public spring" water.

I watched him carefully. The Depends never budged

 

[pyonir]

i was attacked by a transient once.


oh wait, that was jerboy. and he wasn't attacked. although he relates the story like he was.


nevermind.

 

[Lalakai]

Having Alzheimers does have it's benefits: each day you meet new people, and go to new places .

Unfortunately you were visited by some of it's negatives. Better luck next time you go to the watering hole.

 

[PG]

Wait wait... forget the old man... tell us more about this spring. It's just coming out of the ground? You're drinking this water without filtering or cleaning it? I am really not understanding this... pics?

Hmm...lived in town all your life I take it?
Lots of people have well water instead of crappy town water. I miss the water from my parents farm. It was much colder and tasted better than any town water.

 

[Wallydraigle]

Wait wait... forget the old man... tell us more about this spring. It's just coming out of the ground? You're drinking this water without filtering or cleaning it? I am really not understanding this... pics?

I dearly wish I had my camera. I would have started taking pics of the old dude right then But, really, where do you think water comes from? There's no city water out where I live, everyone gets their water from the ground, through a well. The water in my well is pretty nasty tasting. It's potable, it just tastes bad, so we get drinking water from the spring. It flows out of an old hardwood forest and it's very pure, and it tastes great. This is the sticks man, no city water for me.

 

[prodigy]

Originally posted by: lirion

The old man also has bladder problems. Enjoy your "public spring" water.

I watched him carefully. The Depends never budged

You were staring at his crotch the whole time?? :Q

 

[Wallydraigle]

Oh yeah, when Osama bin Laden dumps anthrax in the water supply of every city and town in America, there will still be spring water that is safe to drink*





*Before anyone says something that was sarcasm. I know some people have trouble detecting it, so I'll point it out for you

 

[olds]

Is that the spring by the side of the road in Southeastern Ohio? I p in that.

 

[Wallydraigle]

You were staring at his crotch the whole time?? :Q

Walked right into that didn't I?

 

[Moonbeam]

It's a wonderful thing to be attlacked by somebody so insane that you fully and completely realize that the problem is in them and not you. It gives you an opportunity to see that it isn't what people say that counts, but the fact that you ascribe authority to some people who can then hurt you with their words. The incredible put down doesn't hurt, but the credible one does. The trick is to understand that nobody who puts people down has any authority. They always call you what they really feel about themselves. It's when it connects woth your own self doubt that you take it in.

 

[Wallydraigle]

It's a wonderful thing to be attlacked by somebody so insane that you fully and completely realize that the problem is in them and not you. It gives you an opportunity to see that it isn't what people say that counts, but the fact that you ascribe authority to some people who can then hurt you with their words. The incredible put down doesn't hurt, but the credible one does. The trick is to understand that nobody who puts people down has any authority. They always call you what they really feel about themselves. It's when it connects woth your own self doubt that you take it in.

Exactly. After the instinct to raise shields and go into the defensive wore off, I genuinely feel sorry for the guy, and for his wife. I could tell that she is still herself. It must be really painful for her to see her husband like that, after spending a lifetime with him. I know I didn't do anything wrong against the guy, but I wish for his sake that he had been more civil about it. Today could be the rest of his life. I wouldn't want to spend my last day like that. I hope my mind never decays like that when I grow old. It's awful.

 

[SludgeFactory]

You did the right thing by walking away, especially if he truly does have some form of dementia. My grandmother has it, and it's horrible. She gets angry like that too, for almost no reason -- totally opposite of the way I remember her when I was growing up. Nobody would be cracking jokes about it if they had experienced a family member that had it.

 

[DanFungus]

well, at least it wasn't a sexual assault on you! :Q