A man awoke on the morning of his 40th birthday, and he was really depressed. He couldn’t believe he was already forty! He grumbled as he brushed his teeth and dressed to go jogging, and complained to himself about how he was just getting too old for all this exercise, because his joints were starting to ache, and he just felt so ancient, and on, and on.
As he left his apartment building, the doorman noticed his ill humor and being a companionable fellow, he asked the man what was wrong. “It’s my birthday, and I’m OLD, dammit!” the man growled, “Forty–FORTY!!” The doorman was genuinely surprised, and replied, “Really? Forty? You certainly don’t look it–about 35 would’ve been my guess.”
The man, although taken aback, could see that the doorman was sincere–he thanked the fellow for the compliment and tipped him well. He went on his way, feeling somewhat better.
As he returned from his jog, he stopped at the newsstand, as he usually did. He told the woman working there that it was his birthday, and even though it had started badly, seemed to be improving. “How old?” she asked, and expressed the same surprise as the doorman had at the answer. “Honestly, sir, you look to be only about 35 or 36 to me!”
By now, he felt a lot more like celebrating, so he stopped at a supermarket to buy a few special things like a bottle of wine, steak, even some flowers. As he placed all his stuff on the conveyer, the cashier, a pretty young thing, exclaimed, “Wow! Looks like you’ve got something special going on! Must be a lady!” and she winked. Encouraged by the previous encounters, he answered, “No lady–it’s my birthday, and I decided to celebrate, that’s all!” Then he hesitated for a moment and asked, “How old do you think I am?” She frowned a moment, then replied, “I’d say you’re about 33, sir!” Oh, boy, NOW he was really in a good mood. Triumphantly he stated, “Actually, today I am FORTY.” This time, he said it with pride! “Well, you certainly don’t look it,” smiled the young cashier.
As he left the store with his purchases, he decided to catch a bus to take him the few blocks to his apartment, since his arms were so full. As he waited, an elderly woman approached and stood waiting there with him. “Well, young man,” she said, smiling, “You seem to be in a good mood today!” “Well, ma’am,” he answered, “it’s my birthday today and it’s turning out well!” Again, he couldn’t resist asking, “How old do you think I am?” “Young man, I’m 85 years old, and I just don’t see as well as I used to. It’s hard for me to make such judgements based on sight alone. But I’ll tell you what I can do. If you’ll let me feel around in your pants for about 10 minutes, I’ll tell you EXACTLY how old you are.”
The man was shocked, but at the same time, he was intrigued. Could such a thing be possible? Curiousity overcame caution, and he agreed. They went to a small alley close to the bus stop and he did as she asked. She rooted around, feeling everything carefully and thoughtfully, and very thoroughly. At the end of 10 minutes, she confidently stated, “You, young man, are forty years old today!” The man was astonished and stammered, “But how–how could you be so sure? How on earth were you able to tell my age?”
The old lady shrugged. “I was behind you in the line at the supermarket!”