What Popcorn and an 80-Year-Old Woman Taught Me About Work and Life

“You have to take care of yourself when you’re still young,” she told me. I was walking around a shopping mall with my sister. We stopped at a popcorn cart for a healthy snack. I asked for one bag of popcorn with a tiny bit of salt. Your heart and kidneys don’t like salty food. “You know, I just turned 80 last month and I did take care of myself,” she told me while serving a brown paper bag of popcorn. I couldn’t help but react in surprise: “80!?” She had makeup on and was wearing golden earrings and heels. “You look like you’re still 60,” I told her. “I’m already a grandmother and great-grandmother,” she said while receiving my money. “One of my sons was a soccer player. Maybe you know him.” She said a name but it didn’t ring a bell. I’m not a big fan of soccer, but I still asked her what team he played. “He played in Russia. He already passed away…His son used to play too.” She held the change and kept talking. “His son bought me a house and a car. The other day he asked me how much…