Tuesday, August 3, 2010

it was not my best day . . .



yesterday. . .

Waiting 20 minutes at the photolab at Walmart. Really? Not because there was a huge line, but because no one would come to the register. 20 minutes waiting with three bouncing, jumping, cart-shaking boys. And when she finally arrived, I got the oh well attitude.

One of those cart-shaking boys decided he did not want to put back a set of stickers in JoAnns. Stubborn. Defiant. Would Not Budge. And clutched to his chest in fists. And Mama told him that she was not paying for them. And if he kept them, that would be stealing and the police would take him to jail. That did it. [I'm working on my Mother of the Year award.]

And the line at the pharmacy of Giant Eagle was no better. Five of us stood there. . . eight women walked around behind the counter. . . doing this and that. . . but not making eye contact with us, the customers. I heard whispers of who is supposed to be working on register? Well, she just went on break. Really?

Don't get me started on my soap box about customer service. And how there just isn't any. And about back in the day when I worked in the grocery store. . . Eye roll. . . Groooaan. . .

Nope. That's not what this is about.

It's about the little old man I met in the cereal aisle. The one who walked one step at time. One step, then the other foot would catch up. Slow. But no complaints.

He smiled at little Ethan. Told me he was cute. And how he had five children. And that he had to work two jobs every day to make enough money to care for them. How he would be so tired in the morning. And his wife would tell him to get up so he make money for Linda (their youngest).

You can rest now, I said.

Nope. I would go back in a heartbeat, he said. I loved every minute of it. I miss those days. We would bring two carts to the grocery store with our five kids.

And it brought it all back into perspective.

These are the best days, even when they seem the worst.

And, we decided to turn a bad day into a good one. Bought some cool things from the gumball machine (Luke chose two stinkin head dice. . .imagine that). And stopped at the Dairy Queen drive through for two dilly bars and a chocolate milkshake (with chocolate ice cream and chocolate syrup).

The boys wanted to enjoy our treats at the picnic table in the back (so very cool). And little Ethan munched on a baby cookie on the quilt at our feet.

A good day.

Oh. . . and this made twenty minutes totally worthwhile. . .

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