At the pool for my daily swim, I found the lanes crowded. So I asked a fellow in the far lane if he would share it with me. Yes, he told me, so I climbed in.

Soon I discovered him using the backstroke to return each time from the far end. That infringed on my side of the lane and, moreover, caused his left arm to hit me several times.

This uncomfortable situation moved me to protest to the man. When I did so, he turned toward me in the water and said: “You are a grumpy old man.”

Never before had I received such an age-based accusation. When I later saw the man in the locker room, I protested that I had been the target of discrimination. He replied: “Well, you deserved it,” and then walked off. A moment later, he returned and told me: “I take back the age part.”

The moral of this anecdote?  You decide.