I use to see a very elderly woman get on our bus with 2 large garbage bags of bottles. The transit is probably subsidized or even free for her, so she is using the bus system to collect bottles to help with her income.
THAT is NOT how I want my retirement to be. Scary.
“THAT is NOT how I want my retirement to be. Scary.”
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There was an elderly Asian lady near me who lived in a nice home with her son and family.
Collecting bottles and cans was just “her thing”.
Not all things are as they appear.
.
Collecting the bottles will likely add years to her life in any case. Those who are not disabled and with no kids and little SS and or husband's pensions, yet legal citizens, seems to be most vulnerable. Years ago Southern community often used to take care of such, before society was seduced into reliance solely upon impersonal government checks. A older black man from Alabama who comes by here once in a while tells me about how he was raised. Says they had everything they needed, except money, since everywhere shared what they grew etc. They were poor but did not know it. And the kids did not sass back to the elders, or if they did the like, then the neighbors could spank your kids and as was expected of them. It was his job to teach his siblings about church.