The Apple Store is usually intimidating to me. The staff of millennial and Gen Z kids not only look different, but talk a different language than me. It’s technically English, but make no mistake. It’s a different language.
Until today.
Meet Walter. I’ve never seen anything like him. He’s an 82 year old Apple Store employee with the quick wit, a spring in his step, and the twinkle in his eye of someone a quarter his age. He opened with a friendly greeting and began straight away into how he could help us.
He was patient with our questions, keen on answers, and amazingly adept on his iPhone as he helped us shop for a new Apple Watch. This card carrying member of the “Silent Generation” was high on politeness, low on delays, and spoke clearly, despite his mandatory face mask, about which he made no complaints.
We marveled together on the amazingly quick advancements in technology over the past few decades, and had a laugh about the vast difference in points of view on life between him and his co-workers.
I told him he was an inspiration. I asked how he stayed sharp. Without missing a beat he said God was gracious to give him good genes, and that he was “always thinking”. I wrote that down.
We can’t do anything about our genes. But we can always be thinking. Thinking about the right things.
Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Philippians 4.