Beautiful Days

It’s a normal Friday morning, I am on my way to the local grocery store, and I am hoping to be in and out. It’s not that I don’t like shopping, it’s just that it’s a gloomy day and I would rather be sleeping.

I am greeted as I walk into the store and still think it is funny, I remember a time there wasn’t a need for a formal greeter, as people were just friendlier. I am pondering this as I am in the HBA section and absent-mindedly reaching right in front of someone else for the same product. “Ooops I’m sorry.” I say. No response, just a [who are you] kind of look.

Walking up and down the aisle, it occurs to me, we don’t even expect common courtesy anymore. I decide, it doesn’t matter I am going to be me.

As I approach the juice freezer, I see the cutest little girl shopping with her grandmother. I am reaching for the yogurt when the little girl asks for watermelon flavored Dananimals. The grandmother has no idea what a Dananimal is and starts to say no. The girl is insistent that they are good and she will drink them. Off handedly I say, “Oh my kids, drink those. What flavor is that?” She replies, “Watermelon.” We then discuss all the different flavors and she ends up getting strawberry blast and strawberry kiwi. Everyone is happy, especially the little girl, the grandma thanks me and my heart is full.

It’s nice to be nice to people. It’s a win/win. I make my way through the aisle making eye contact and occasionally saying a few words.

Then it happens, I see an older gentleman speaking harshly with the person he is with, as I approach them I hear the older gentleman say, “Just make up your f#@%ing mind already, and pick one.” He is speaking to a very older man. In my mind I think, hey wait a minute, that’s not nice, and that could be seen as elder abuse. I want to say something but don’t.

Have you ever been in that situation? I have, I always choose not to say anything, not my business, especially with children. But it is my business, you made it my business by speaking loudly enough for me to hear you in a public place. Not only that, it affected me, brought me down, I should have said something. I decide if I see them again, I will address it.

As luck would have it, the Lord took me up on the offer, there they are, I walk right up to the man and touch his arm. I say, “You know, I wasn’t going to say anything, but I just want you to know, I hope no one ever speaks to you like you spoke to him. Because the fact is; we are all going there, we will all be him one day, God willing.”

He fumbles over the words as he explains that the man is his father, and he’s not right in the head, he is having a bad day, and sometimes he has to be shocked back to the present. I hear him, knowing that he is just frustrated, I explain that one day that will be him and me for that matter. He rubs his face, he is tired, I can see that, I wonder how long he has been taking care of him, but I just rub his arm and say, “I know it’s hard, and what you are doing is hard, but you have to do it anyway.” By speaking to it with gentleness and compassion, the man replied, “I know, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said those words to him.” I smile and pat his arm and walk away. I see him again going over to the meat cooler, he is so gentle now, suggesting things to the older man and helping him put them in his cart.

Whatever you do to the least of my people; you do them to me.

This is the thought that stays with me as I check out and decide to help the elderly women ahead of me.

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