Two Shopping Tales
Two Shopping Tales that were so different! So it was an afternoon out of the office. After many tasks were already completed, I headed over to our local Walmart. I pulled in at the end of the aisle like I always do to park away from everyone. It is to protect my car and also to get more exercise.
As I got ready to exit the car, someone pulled in next to me and another in front of me. I had to chuckle! They had the same idea. Oh well so be it, the sun was out and it was a great day to be out shopping.
As I got out of my car, a young lady stepped out of hers. She smiled and I said “hello”! We began chatting about the great weather. While I paused to throw out some garbage, she kindly waited for me. By the time we walked the length of the parking lot, I had learned she was there to purchase a gift for her mother’s birthday.
I asked if she knew what she wanted to purchase and she shared her ideas with me. I guess they carried one of her mom’s favorite coffee brands there. Once during the course of my shopping journey I saw her again. We picked up our conversation as if we’d known each other a long time. She even showed me what she selected. A beautiful classy outfit and several large containers of coffee. Seemed like her day was being productive.
We had a pleasant chat about our community. We even shared where we worked and although much younger than I was, she had a parallel degree in theology. She had aspirations to continue along the same pathway. The conversation was short, but meaningful. We even exchanged names; hope to connect again.
Fast forward to the sewing department. Here I ran into another woman closer to my age who was also looking for sewing needles. We ended up helping one another find what we needed. I wished her a good day and moved along.
As I went to check out the lady from the sewing department was ahead of me. Her cart was loaded; she shops every two weeks. I could tell she was annoyed with a pokey checkout clerk. It was obvious he was new. She made the best of it and began to pack her own stuff.
From behind me another lady said, “he is pretty slow, but oh, so cute!” I chuckled and agreed. I wasn’t in a hurry so I patiently waited. A few more pleasantries among the three of us in line left smiles all around.
Later in the afternoon, I spoke with my daughter who had just finished a trip to Aldi’s. She lives in another community about an hour away. With only a few days left before returning to work after the birth of a baby, she took the time to get out.
Her plate is full with attending soccer games, wrestling meets, dance recitals, and transporting teenagers to part time jobs. Now with 7 children, there is always some responsibility to face.
She tells me she placed the baby, who was in his car seat, inside the cart since she could not safely attach him to the top. As she proceeded to do some shopping, there was a lady who kept watching her. With the baby in the basket, there wasn’t room for too many things, so you can understand how taken back she was when the lady made the comment. He was surrounded by groceries as if in a cocoon.
This older lady who had been studying her, now passed her and commented, “did you leave anything in this store for anyone else?” It was a rather chide comment. My daughter simply said there wasn’t that much in the cart, but it was strategically around the carrier.
Then the lady said that she hadn’t noticed the baby. “How old is your baby?” ”He’s 6 weeks old.” my daughter replied. ”Oh we didn’t take out such young ones in my day,” she responded. My daughter had no response. Silence as she proceeded to shop.
At the very end of the shopping expedition, the baby began to cry. Mommy settled him and gave him a pacifier. The woman then remarked, “You almost made it out of here.” And then she added, “Years ago, we just let our children cry, and they all turned out ok!” Obviously, she had no use for pacifiers!
Thank God this wasn’t my daughter’s first child. I am happy she was able to share her frustrations with me. The judgmental and passive-aggressive comments of this lady were apparently hurtful. They made me feel horrible, and I wasn’t even there.
My daughter said a prayer that she wouldn’t turn into a older crabby woman. I guess most of us have uttered a prayer like that. As a grandmother, past teacher, and counselor, I really try not to criticize. My own children taught me early on that kids will do what kids do, in spite of how we try to alter things.
At this point I too uttered a passing prayer. “Please forgive me if I say or do something to be critical. Especially to a young mother who is trying so hard to get it right!” It isn’t intentional folks.
We all try our best to do what we think is good. Our primary goal is to keep the kids stay safe and healthy. Being a parent in today’s world is not easy. Even having one or two children is rough. Demands are all around. Money, time crunches, family relationships, and community endeavors keep the most balanced people running. We all need to hear words of encouragement. Just like I had encountered lovely people today, I want that feeling for everyone. Let’s all try to be considerate.
So to all the lovely moms out there and women trying to be supportive, do have a great day!