Yesterday was, for me, a kind of busy day: Drive Kate to the hospital, go work out at the gym, pick Kate up at the hospital, rush home for Kate's home nurse, meet with our financial advisor. All of that on four hours sleep. So, when our finance guy left, I was not in the mood to go out and get groceries but we had nothing for dinner and Kate, the cancer patient, wasn't up to it. Grumbling, I went off in search of vittles.
My first stop was Produce Depot - they have the large grapefruit Lena and I like and some pretty good oranges. So I loaded up the cart and as I was walking to the cash I was stopped by a delightful 67 year old woman (you are a good looking 67, I said. I know, she said, I take care of myself) asking where I got my oranges. The conversation turned to the weather then to the fact she came to Canada from the south of France over 40 years ago and that once her old dog dies (I'm hoping she meant her pet and not her husband) she'll be moving back the 400 year old ancestral home to escape the increasingly difficult Canadian winters. "You have a very good day." she said as we parted.
When I got to the cash, an elderly woman with a walker was paying and the young cashier helped her load her walker with her purchases and insisted on getting someone to help her to her car. When it was my turn, I complimented the young woman for helping the lady, explaining that my wife had mobility issues and when she asked for help at other stores (i.e. Loblaws), help was given only grudgingly. She was a little embarrassed, but admitted she likes to make sure that the people who seemed to need help got it.
Then I went down to Farm Boy to get some samosas and a few other things for dinner and another nice young woman greeted me at the cash. She noticed my Senators cap and asked if I would be watching the game later that evening. This led to a thoroughly nice discussion about fandom and how great we Sens fans were and how awful Leafs fans were.
By the time I got home, I was feeling a good bit better. Who knew a trip to get groceries could be so therapeutic?
Sometimes a pleasant interaction with a stranger is all you need to clear your headspace. Getting out...hard as it is in this weather, always helps, too! Sometimes I don't realize how housebound I'm feeling until I actually step outside! ;-)
ReplyDeleteSo true.
DeleteI'm glad you had some good encounters with helpful, pleasant people. It's too bad that's considered unusual, eh?
ReplyDeleteIt is too bad and my good experience has been very much overshadowed by the much more negative experience yesterday when I asked the guy who clears snow from the driveway next door to please not blow it onto my already cleaned driveway and was met with a barrage of profanity-laced insults.
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