A few days ago I woke with the sun at 5:00 a.m.! I got moving and headed into town to the indoor track to do my 6-7 mile walk and fully expecting to be back out at the cabin way before noon to enjoy the day OUTSIDE! as it was glorious and to be in the high 70's possilby 80's. Well, as they saying goes............LIFE had OTHER plans!
I was mailing one of the 'mom packages' to Emily..you know the kind...well you who mail things to your children who live far away may know the kind......the box contents do NOT exceed the cost of the postage and the postal workers look totally stunned that you are paying for a box full of itsy bitsy items or in this case those Canadian things that Emily can't get in the states..........I no longer explain myself to them! BUT today........I encountered a NEW adventure............Customs in the U.S. is requiring a computer form be completed online before they can stamp the package and get it into the system. WELL Lucky ME...I was their FIRST such customer. SO I was involved with this process for 20 minutes! Fortunately the postal workers were friendly, i was still on my perceived schedule of getting to the cabin WAY before noon and NO one was behind me to irritate us in this new adventure. It all worked out and like I said.....20 min later I was Off to the next errand.............the GROCERY STORE!
EVERYTHING was going SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO smoothlyl.........even when I pulled up to the ONLY open check out lane (it was only 10:45 a.m so not ALL that many folks in the store yet). One older couple was in front of me and they were almost finished.............OR so I thought...................
I start glancing at ALL the magazines in the checkout lane....................I realized I was about to finish an entire article in a Health Magazine (why I chose THAT one I do not know...maybe so if anyone saw me reading a magazine I'd not paid for yet and it was about health, I would be forgiven?
I then see the woman reviewing her receipt with great concentration....asking about senior's airmiles and senior's discount. I'm not fretting as the cashier is so friendly and helping this lady and her husband and I am still thinking I will get to the cabin before noon----even with a drive of 30 minutes........and THEN IT HAPPENS>...........the cashier takes this lady's receipt over to customer service...........they husband who I end up knowing (he is a retired minister here in town and a nice gentle soul) comes up to me and says "i'm really sorry this is taking so long...she is particular about her air miles." I just smiled and said "it is OK I don't have anything frozen today".............we chatted a bit. He has macular degeneration and can hardly read any more and had to retire from the ministry. Was a wonderful visitor to the various nursing homes here in town and that is His GIFT!......it was nice to catch up with him and see him doing his best to be in the public with his disability......... and then the waiting got SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOo long he went to fiddle with his groceries that were in the cart (perhaps HE did have things that were frozen? HA!).............I kept trying NOt to glance at my watch, I'd put all my groceries onto the conveyer belt so wasn't going to remove them to go elsewhere and there WAS NO ELSEWHERE!!!!! no other checkouts but express for 10 items or less was open!
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| I was lucky that NO ONE got in line behind me........because then I start feeling responsible for how they are feeling about all the waiting and I haven't even caused the delay! |
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| I used to end up purchasing quite a few of THESE items as I waited in line but NO MORE! WHEW! |
I then looked at my watch and realized I had been in line for 25 minutes and NOT even begun MY grocery checkout yet! My mind began wandering and I imagined how great it would be to get your exercise out of the way as I waited in line at the grocery store......heck at the post office..................I just saw on CBS morning show there are corporate offices that now have treadmills at desks............can you believe it? people in high places NOT sitting at their desks.........they are coordinated enough to stand up /use a lap top, talk on the phone, use a calculator ALL while walking on a treadmill.......................I have to admit.........I remained calm in both 'waiting experiences.........everyone was friendly and I still made it home (though an hour later than anticipated) and enjoyed my afternoon outside at the cabin..............and JOE was SO grateful I had been the one doing all the waiting...........as for such a patient man in SO many areas (or at least he appears patient), he does NOT do well in lines..........or waiting while the people in front of him are chatting about the weather, the best coffee, gas prices or what their latest blood pressure reading was last week!
We all have our gifts..............and I think one of mine is now being more at peace in WAITING......at least on this day! and seeing the GIFTS IN the WAITING!
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