I love the smell of old people

There is no more comforting smell than that of an old lady with a crooked smile walking down the road; or the smell you get when you give your granny a hug for the first time in ages.

They always have the best outlook on life: they’ve seen everything there is to see and done everything there is to do, and it smells like it. Its that musky smell that hangs around for hours after they leave. It could be the smell of the blue hair dye they all use or maybe the disenfectant they get on the cheap from the government but whatever it is, its like a drug when they simply put there arms around you and envelop you in a hug.

When i walk into any old folks home i’m instantly hit with a wall of wellbeing. Everyone there would be delighted if you sat down next to them and sat in silence for hours on end. But if strike up a conversation they will latch on with the vigour of one less than half their age, gladly listen to what you have to say and then when its their turn they’ll add their own six pence. They may tell you of how they met the love of their life, their first date, and how things must be done differently mowadays, always comparing themselves to the youth of today as a base for their senile ramblings; or maybe they’ll regale you with a story of when they got a bargain in a sale and then brought it onto the antiques roadshow and found out they had picked up a priceless heirloom for next to nothing.

Whatever they tell you, make sure you listen and learn everything you can.