• LogicalDrivel@sopuli.xyz
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    11 days ago

    I was at a gas station one day, pumping my gas like normal when this lady came up to me. She was from New Jersey and visiting my state and had no idea how to pump her own gas. New Jersey doesn’t allow you to pump your own gas BTW. I talked her through it and she seemed genuinely freaked out by the whole experience, like she was afraid her car would just burst into flames as she pumped. She was an older lady too (maybe 50-60), but i guess she never traveled alone before and just hadn’t had to do it for herself. Nice lady though, she gave me 5 bucks for helping her out.

    • tal@lemmy.today
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      11 days ago

      She was an older lady too (maybe 50-60), but i guess she never traveled alone before and just hadn’t had to do it for herself.

      I wouldn’t be terribly surprised if her husband always did it, and he might have died.

      One thing I think is a good idea in a marriage — which often, especially traditionally, divided up responsibilities — is to have the other partner do any important things at least enough to know how to do it at a basic level if they have to do so in a pinch. Could be taxes or making dinner or fueling the car or whatever. You may not always be available, and, to be blunt, one of you is going to die first.

      Something I had not thought of but ran into with some people who lived with someone — not even always a spouse — and had someone die who always handled X and never learned how to do it themselves. If suddenly, in addition to someone dying, you now have to immediately deal with the fact that you don’t know how how the family finances work, or paying utilities works, or where the X, Y, and Z subscription comes from, it just adds more load. It’s a lot easier to deal with it ahead of time.