Over Thanksgiving vacation, I noticed that I focus my attention differently on the speaker depending on his/her age. On Thanksgiving day there was a range of ages present in the house, from 18 to 80. I noticed subtle differences in the way us youngsters talked compared to the parents and grandparents, but I noticed more differences in how everyone listened to the speaker. Whenever my grandpa spoke, who is eighty years old but doesn't look or act it, everyone quieted down around the large dinner table and listened eagerly and respectfully to what he had to say. This is not to say that nobody listened when my brother or I spoke, but there was certainly a difference in the focus. And the reason for all this probably dates back to times when the elders really did have all the respect in the community, and everyone younger always showed their respect. Besides, the old folks usually have some pretty good ideas...they're worth listening to!