bathyscaphe
I got off work at Harris Teeter at 10:30. I hate working that late, especially when I have an exam in the morning. I know I’ll pass it as is, but I want to ace it and that means more studying…
Late in my shift, especially if there are enough cashiers up front, the customer service clerk will send me to another part of the store to block and face the shelves. I don’t mind aisle 1 so much–it’s just ketchup and salad dressing and marinades–but today I had the privilege of doing the dairy section. One word: Yogurt. Those little cups are the bane of my existence when I have to stack them four high just above eye level and they topple over, inevitably knocking over three or fours rows in the process. It’s maddening enough during any other time of the day, but around 9:45 when that area of the store is really quiet and all I have is my tiredness and my thoughts to keep me company, the activity ascends to a whole new plane of aggravation.
Around that time this evening I was arm-deep in the sour cream section, pulling the containers to the front and stacking them when I noticed someone in my peripheral vision, browsing the section I was working on. Didn’t think anything of it and kept going. They moved over to my left and looked through the yogurt. My hands were freezing from rooting around in the cooler for so long and I pulled them out, stood up, cupped them to my mouth and breathed, trying to warm them. In doing so I glanced over to my left and was amazed to see a beautiful girl smiling in amusement at my attempt to warm my hands. I returned her smile as she said something to the effect of, “It feels just right” (I assume she was making a reference to the cold weather outside). I managed a reply: “Yeah, it gets me ready to go outside again.” (What the hell?). I smiled again and returned to my blocking and facing, glancing over periodically to see her loading her arms with little yogurt cups. At that point I figured I would make a gesture and offered to get her a basket, but she said she already had one as she walked over to it, in front of the meat department. She thanked me and walked on.
Time sped up again. My activity wasn’t so mundane and monotonous anymore. A thousand alternatives to my reply flashed through my mind in the minutes immediately following the encounter. “I should say something; I should say something,” I thought. I casually walked down the aisle traversing the back of the store, glancing quickly down each aisle to see if she was still around, hoping to see her again and just let her know that her smile had made my evening. But by that time she had left. I kicked myself again.
There are so many things we don’t tell each other, so many things we think are assumed. But we need to tell each other those things, even if in our mind it seems redundant or superfluous or silly. What do we have to lose?
to answer your last question:
Nothing.
Trieste
I know this may sound silly, but I think sometimes it’s good for us to not be able to find the person and “thank them properly,” because, without being able to do so we find ourselves smack dab in the middle of the grace of the moment.
Maybe it’s just me, or that it’s 4:12a, or it could be the curry talking, but I think God uses people a lot more subtly than most people give Him credit for. I mean, yes, PRAISE GOD! You got a job, and I do believe that is the direct work of His hand… and there are MANY other radical things in our lives that God does―big stuff like saving us from physical harm, curing diseases, and the myriad of other wonderful miracles performed daily, hourly, and even by the second.
But what about the little things… and I don’t mean the “little things” we may ask for (like a parking spot at school) but those things that come along that we didn’t even know we needed to ask for? Like the smile you got tonight (…er last night) or the calming sound of someone genuinely telling you that they’ll be praying for you (or even better that they have been praying for you)… a beautiful sunrise on a bad morning, a bright and colorful sunset after a long, hard day, or the way the moon shines on the clouds and completely lights up the sky around it… a smile, a warm touch, or an unexpected hug… I could go on! But, I think these are all orchestrated by God to remind us of two things (a) we’re not alone, unknown, or forgotten in this world, but loved wholly by Him and (b) we may not think He can come down and give us a pick-me-up “in person” but He is God, after all, so He can do anything… even come to the Harris Teeter dairy section and un-monotonize your evening.
Granted, it could have just been a pretty girl with a mood-changing smile… what do I know? Just a thought for 4:26 in the morning. My luck it won’t make a lick of sense during regularly scheduled viewing! : )
Either way, g’night and God bless!
Interesting, well-thought-out answer. It makes perfect sense and I appreciate your insight :)
And what were you doing up at 4:26?(!)
Exactly.
Why indeed?
It was NOT by choice… A friend made some curry meatballs and rice for me and I ate it around 9:00 (not a good idea with curry)… and it pretty much just sat on my stomach like a lump of lead! It was very tasty, but I went to bed far to close to finishing it.
I did have a very interesting dream and may just have to use it for a story line sometime though…
How was your test??
I think we covered all these bases earlier tonight :)
Added you back.
Yes, yes, you’re quite the clever one… : )