I arrived at the grocery store and found easy parking. I grabbed my canvas bags and made my way inside. Something was amiss. There was nary a vacant cart out front. But there was a friendly cart guy, and I got one from him. I walked in and noticed that it was crowded, but I was a woman on a mission so I did not dwell. I started in produce, picked up everything on my list: red apples, grapes, sweet onion, lettuce. I hit the back of the next aisle as I passed the processed foods section and grabbed the last two packages of
It was.
This presented two distinct problems. First, the obvious: it is going to take forever. Second, the maddening: it is really, really hard to maneuver your cart around the store when people and carts are blocking all the space! I was so pissed, so chagrined, so irate! The day was half over and turning to crap. I needed to holler at someone but quick.
I looked back to my peaceful, spacious produce area. There were a couple of decidedly calm employees milling about, watering the cucumbers and whatnot. You know how they are always asking “can I help you find something?” or “how are you doing today?” That’s exactly what they were doing! Smiling at me! Wanting to help me! I was floored. Did they not notice that everything was in the shitter? People were waiting in line for ages, bumping into each other and having to move their carts for others to get by! They had to ask other people to hand them things they could not reach! They had to talk to each other, solve problems, be patient! WHY ARE YOU IDIOTS SMILING AT A TIME LIKE THIS? I felt my fingers being pulled into a fist. The force that was driving me to punch the grin right off of the nearest face felt unstoppable. But then the smile said something to me that stopped the freight train dead in his tracks. He said: “isn’t this funny?”
It was funny - not 'ha ha' funny, but funny in that it was so different from what I've grown accustomed to expect from the masses.
And I looked around again. At the strangers talking and laughing in line, trying to move out of one another’s way, handing over what could not be reached, bagging their own groceries, making the best of it.
I tried to summon my rage, to reclaim my righteous indignation and pick a good fight. But it was futile. Remember before Christmas when I wrote about the contagious nature of happiness? Maybe that was only half bullshit. I sighed and finished my shopping. The aisles were blocked, but it wasn’t a big deal. It’s just groceries, right? When I got to the check out line, I grabbed the new People, and a selection of reading materials for my line buddies. It was turning out to be a pretty good day.
Aw, you *are* Littlest Miss Sunshine, schnookums! But tell me, were you ever able to wield that excess rage? Was there no one's clock you could clean with all that good, pure fury???
ReplyDeleteLove it.
Ellie
I love a happy ending.
ReplyDeleteI stay (relatively) calm in lines by playing Monopoly on my iPod these days. Sometimes I have to tell the checker to wait a minute because I'm in the middle of a big trade.
Oh, how checkers love those requests, Kathi!
ReplyDeleteJacquie, what is it about the grocery store that brings out your creative side? You do a lot of good blog work while securing your family's sustenance :-)
Beth
I was thinking the same thing, Beth. Jacquie's our Von's Blog Mama.
ReplyDeleteEllie