So, I was at the supermarket today (I say supermarket because it is a word my grandma would have used) shopping for ingredients to invite my family over for a pancake dinner tomorrow and, as fate would have it, blueberries were on for a dollar a carton and there were only two perfectly tiny plastic containers left. What luck!
I finished my shopping and it was while I was in the checkout line unloading my cart that tragedy struck. Both of the poorly protected containers of beautiful blue berries slipped stealthily through a gap in the cart and landed in a quiet pile on my shoe. I felt it before I saw it (blueberries are softer than I had anticipated) and was almost afraid to look down at the little bits of juicy goodness rolling away from me forever across the grimy floor.
Time stood still as I looked from the cashier (who I happened to know personally) to the bagger and back again. "Do you want to get another one?" The bagger urged like I was hard of hearing. Yes! Another one... I snapped out of my trance. That is precisely what I need. I dodged displays of easter candy and salad dressing as I franticly speed-walked to the produce section. I spotted a worker stocking nectarines an zeroed in. "Do you have any more?" I implored pointing to the "Blueberries 99 cents!" sign as a little tear began to well in my right eye.
"We're out." He said with what I thought was a little less sympathy than what the situation required. Crestfallen, I turned and slowly dragged my feet back to the check out line, now vacant of any stray berries, and solemnly paid for my groceries. Oh, if only the force of my mind could will time to reverse the few precious seconds it would have required to change the destiny of those ill fated berries.
The drive home strung my mind to other times when, with all the force I could muster, I had willed time to reverse for only a few moments. I am sure you, dear reader, can remember the feeling of the moment directly after you flung out an insult that should have been withheld, or the silent seconds following the crunch of a fender bender after you backed up without looking. I suppose those times have happened to us all, and will probably happen a few more times before we die (maybe even as we die), but the important thing is to learn from them. I know that I vow next time to be a little more careful as to the placement of precious produce in my shopping cart... and think before I speak... and look before I back up... and point the mustard away before I squeeze... and wait to step on a bus until I've read where it's going...and...
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1 comment:
You are spot on! I remember a time when I was eating dinner at someone's home and I took food from my plate and put it under the table because I was in the habit of feeding my dog under the table when eating at MY home. I didn't realize until after I returned home that I had left a pile of food under their table. I have also learned to verify that the bathroom is stocked with toilet paper when about to "do business" at someone else's home.
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