‘I heard two soft voices greet each other. ‘Elizabeth!’, ‘Cheryl!’, their voices almost shaken. Two elderly women had run into each other for the first time in months. I pretended to look at shoes as I listened in.’

“What is it about Target that is so alluring to women? Is it the easy access to Starbucks coffee? The fact that you can drink said coffee while you peruse nonchalantly through the store? The super adorable clothes to pore over? The chic home decor that we pretend we can afford? All of the above?

I’m not sure what the exact reasoning is, but like birds of a feather, we sure flock there together. Nine times out of ten, the only men I see inside Target are ones being dragged along with their female counterparts. Target really is the female mecca of ‘let me have some me time.’ We really could walk every inch of that store multiple times and never get bored of it.

Every time I’m in Target, I people watch. It’s one of my hobbies outside of raising my little tribe. The airport is definitely the best place for this leisurely activity, but Target is a close second. People are fascinating! It makes me feel better when I see a fellow mom walking around with a coffee, putting stuff in her cart only to take it out before checking out when she realizes her husband will definitely freak out if she walks in with MORE throw pillows they ‘don’t need.’ It also makes me feel better when I see women smell every candle, look through every single piece of clothing on the sale rack, and try on endless shoes they won’t end up buying.

Have you ever noticed how women pick up and feel every single blanket before choosing the one they want? Or how they stand with dresses held up against their body while they look in the mirror and determine which color looks best with their skin color? Or how moms in the baby aisle pick up and set down multiple baby lotions, trying to figure out which one is best? Or even those same moms who Google ingredients they don’t know to determine which one is the safest? Give a woman a few hours inside of Target and you will find this tribe of women. Walking through the store really is like an unspoken bond of sisterhood. We just get each other without actually speaking one word to one another.

On this one particular trip, I heard two soft voices greet each other. ‘Elizabeth!’, ‘Cheryl!’, their voices almost shaken. Two elderly women had run into each other for the first time in a few months. I was browsing the shoes, deciding if I really ‘needed’ any. I didn’t plan on eavesdropping on their conversation, but there I was, not able to walk away. All of a sudden, these shoes were really, really interesting. I pretended to examine them closely as I listened in.

One of the women said to the other, ‘know anything we can gossip about?’

Ok, ok, this is is going to be GOOD.

My first reaction was to smile and giggle to myself. I mean, how do you not when someone says that? What a great conversation starter!

It was in that moment that I realized – this would be me in 40 years! Just taking a stroll through my favorite store only to run into a friend and trying to strike up a conversation. What better way to spend your latter years of life than by keeping your chats exciting and interesting? Sure, they could talk about the weather and politics. But I’m all here for them keeping their conversations provocative. I mean…why not? They deserve it for living a long life. Gossiping elderly women are the best to snoop in on!

Unfortunately for all of us, neither of them could think of anything to gossip about. I was ready for something really outrageous that I could come home and tell my husband. You know…something about the granddaughter’s boyfriend or how their neighbor has crazy parties every weekend. Those sweet little old ladies had nothing to share. But I was totally invested in whatever decided to trickle out of their mouths!

Gossip has to be so much more fun when you’re older and you don’t really care what other people think. You better believe that when I’m 70+ and I run into my friends in Target, I will have loads to chat about.”

This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Molly Schultz of Tried and True Mama. Submit your own story here, and subscribe to our best stories in our free newsletter here.