Today at Walgreens, I watched a woman on her motorized
scooter trying to maneuver around the merchandise placed in every corner and
aisle of the store. She had just enough
clearing and barreled though the space with confidence and familiarity. I went about my shopping when her scooter
came quickly around the corner and I moved to let her by. She stopped and asked “Are your eyes better then
mine?” Being very familiar with the
place myself, I asked her if she needed help.
“Yes,” she tells me in a curt and frustrated voice, “I’m trying to find
the probiotics.” She led me to the
vitamin aisle and said in a very irritated voice, “they said they are right
here, but I can’t see them.” I scanned through the vitamins on every shelf, and on the very top, way above the eye
level of a scooter bound person, I found them.
She barked, “Hand me the cheapest ones would ya?” Then she explained
that she heard they are better than antibiotics. “Thanks for the eyes” she softly shouted and
off she drove.
After a little more searching for what I needed, I headed to
the register and she was checking out. One
lady was behind her and quickly three of four people were behind me. She apologetically explained to the clerk that
she had to write a check since all her credit cards were stolen from her and misused
and she didn’t have new ones yet. As the
lady started to write the check she mumbled to the clerk and the clerk replied,
“that’s okay if you can’t see it, leave the line blank and the computer will
fill it in.” I could feel the impatience of the other shoppers just as an announcement rang over the intercom, “There is no waiting in cosmetics.” The lady in
front of me took off, and all the people behind me left to cosmetics too, so I
moved up one in line. I could hear the
conversation even more clearly now as she told the clerk, “I can’t believe someone
would steal my credit cards. One time I lost my purse when I was drunk so I
couldn’t get mad, but this time I was mad, they stole from me!” She apologized
for taking so long and the very patient minimum wage clerk so assuring said, “Your
fine,” her voice almost melodic. Moving
very quickly trying to gather her bags, the scooter lady kept dropping items
from her bag, “I’m so sorry,” she said. Calmly, without hesitation, the clerk
said, “It’s okay, it’s fine, take your time.” When the lady left the store I
paid the clerk for my stuff. Never did she complain about the previous
customer, or try to apologize for her. She was just helping one customer as
they needed and moved on to the next, seamless, with the quiet dignity she kept
for me and the scooter lady.
Stress and worry will always be in my life. I will fall and I drop things, forget things,
and try to juggle everything in my bag, and I will get frustrated and lose my
way, and often not see what is just in front of me. Just like the clerk, God will stand next to
me and say “It’s okay, it’s fine, take your time.” He will be my eyes, and I
will breathe, and remember I can only juggle what fits in my hands, not in my
bag, and God will take care of the rest.
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