Invisible

During this time of the year, the “holiday” season, a time that is supposed to be filled with love and good cheer and peace toward your fellow man, why is it that so many people are terribly rude? Okay, maybe not “so many” but you know what they say about a few bad apples.

For example …

I went shopping this morning with my little man. We had several places we needed to go – grocery shopping for Doug who is working midnight shift (you may recall, Doug does our grocery shopping – lucky me!).

Most of the stops were fine, no problems.

In fact, they were better than fine. The folks at those few places know my name. We smile and wish each other a Merry Christmas, do a little small talk. It is nice. I left those places with a smile on my face. Looking forward to the rest of my errands.

But a couple left a bad taste in my mouth. Not the actual places, but the people shopping there.

At Sam’s Club, we were pushing our cart toward the checkouts. There were only 4 or so open at the time – I guess because they weren’t that busy. As we were heading toward register #8 – with no line – another lady literally raced in front of me to get there first. I watched her watching me. She was so determined to get there first, it was almost laughable.

Now I had maybe 10 things in my cart. She had a cart overflowing with stuff. I could have easily gotten through the checkout quickly had she let me in front of her.

But instead I went to register #10 that turns out also had no line. The one she flew right past in her effort to beat me to register #8. I laughed to myself and, of course, got checked out much quicker than she. I just hope she felt better about herself.

Then at Walmart, a store I am really beginning to dislike, I was done with my shopping and was on my way to the register. The direction I was heading, I had to pass the store entrance to get to the registers. This woman was coming into the store pushing her cart like she was on a serious mission. She didn’t slow down when she saw me (and several others) coming her way. She kept right on going, making me have to stop to let her pass without wrecking my cart into hers (or hers into mine). So I said to Alex, “Hmmph, I must be invisible today.”

Once I got to the registers I was standing in line – probably 4 people deep. The register opened right beside me, so the lady in front of me whipped her cart over. No problem, she was there before me, even though she was clearly over the 20 item limit. :) So as I started to move my cart over behind her, some chick without a cart cuts right in front of me. Right in front like I wasn’t even there!

I said to Alex (loud enough for her to hear), “That’s it! I must be invisible today!” I didn’t look to see what her reaction was. I just proceeded on my way in the line I had started out in and waited patiently for my turn. Which, mind you, isn’t easy with a 4 year old who needs to touch anything and everything he can reach. But wait I did. Patiently, not so much.

So my question remains. Why are some people so flippin’ rude this time of year? Or are they rude all year long and I just happened to be the lucky one on the receiving end of it today?

Of course, I’ll never know the answer because, God willing, I will never see those people again. And even if I did, I wouldn’t remember what they looked like.

Thankfully.

Thanks for letting me vent. Not that you had a choice, because it is my blog. :)

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