Crow’s Feet: Life As We Age

“The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes.” (Frank Lloyd Wright) Non-fiction pieces…

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The Simple Magic of Running Errands

Jan M Flynn
Crow’s Feet: Life As We Age
5 min readDec 15, 2024

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Photo by Erik Scheel on Pexels

It’s another cold, gray day and I am fully aware that the world is going to hell. A quick scan of Google News relieves me of any doubt as to the clear truth of that fact. An ill-advised peek at social media — even the new, less toxic platform — assures me that not only are things bad now, but they’re bound to get worse.

Everywhere I look in Screen World, haters, screamers, liars, corrupt politicians, and heartless billionaires are on the prowl, making life worse for everybody.

This is so not how I pictured my golden years. Why do so many people suck?

But we’re out of broccoli and cranberries, and the deli sandwiches we‘ve decided on for dinner tonight aren’t going to order themselves, and I’m too demoralized to figure out Insta Cart. So off I go.

First, a stop at the coffee shop drive-through to grant me enough energy to endure.

And here’s what I experience out there in a Three-Dimensional World.

While waiting in the car line, I watch a couple of guys chat in the parking lot, coffees in hand. Rugged types, dressed for rugged work in wool beanies and weathered jackets, in their 30s or 40s. Rolling down my window as I approach the barista’s…

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Crow’s Feet: Life As We Age
Crow’s Feet: Life As We Age

Published in Crow’s Feet: Life As We Age

“The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes.” (Frank Lloyd Wright) Non-fiction pieces, personal essays and occasional poems that explore how we feel about how we age and offer tips for getting the most out of life.

Jan M Flynn
Jan M Flynn

Written by Jan M Flynn

Novelist, essayist, inner space explorer. GRIFFIN SPEAKER, book one of a middle grade fantasy series, coming from Disney-Hyperion in spring 2026.

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