Living Dangerously

It was time for a Costco toilet paper run and I decided to go first thing when they opened in the morning, something I’d never done. I got gas at the station there and cruised over to the parking lot. It was still about ten minutes before opening time and a bunch of cars were already there. I saw people amassing outside the big red garage-type door and thought that was pretty silly and then I decided it would be fun to stand there and check out the crowd. When the entrance opened, people rushed into the store. It made me laugh when an elderly man pushed ahead with his cart to cut me off and get ahead. I wanted to shout, “Dude! It’s Costco, it’s not a matter of life and death!” I got inside with the rest of the lemmings, bought the big package of toilet paper, threw a couple of bags of peanuts into my cart for the squirrels, and headed for the checkout. The checker was a friendly older man with a strong Eastern European accent. “I got here early and now I’m outta here,” I told him. “Lucky you!’ he said. I wished him a good day and he smiled and said, “You too, doll.” I haven’t had anyone call me “doll” in a long time. Or maybe ever. It was sweet. The food court was already stocked and one person was enjoying a pizza slice for breakfast. The person checking receipts at the door had a name tag that said Maria and we had a delightful discussion about  the name Maria versus Mary versus Miriam, depending on the country of origin. One of our sons insists the best time to go to Costco is right before closing. On my quest to find interest in everyday living, I may live dangerously and try that next time.

Photo courtesy tokaijiru at Pixabay.com