You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
Haha. Gold star if you know what that’s from.
I saw the most ridiculous and careless thing yesterday, followed by one of the nicest and most genuine.
Beware, soap box ahead.
I had to do some grocery shopping yesterday afternoon, and so I grabbed something to eat in my car between stores. While I was sitting in my car I saw a lady walk out, unload her cart, and proceed to walk it about ten steps and just push it in the general direction of the cart return. Mind you, the cart return was about another six steps or so away. So instead of taking just barely a few more steps to push it into the rack, she just left it out in the middle of the parking lot.
Right after this, a woman in front of my car (the other was behind) drove in, parked, and decided to put away about three stray carts on the other side (not the same place where inconsiderate woman left hers). No one was watching her (well, I guess I was), no one asked her to do it, but she just decided to put away some of the carts that were blocking parking spaces etc. in the lot.
I guess I felt inclined to illustrate this because it’s the Christmas season. As the songs put it, we should all be merry and bright and full of cheer etc. To me, the truth is that this time of the year people don’t seem to get nicer, they get angrier. Somewhere in all the hustle and bustle, they don’t remember what Christmas is truly about. They rush around to find the perfect gift, to get ingredients for the perfect meal, whatever it is that makes their holiday special, and forget it if anyone gets in their way.
I try really hard NOT to let the holiday rush get me down. It’s hard for most people to be 100% happy this time of year because we’re getting much less than the recommended amount of sunshine, and that does make a huge difference, not to mention that it does generally get a bit chillier. I guess that the bottom line for me though, is how hard would it have been for woman number one to take those few extra steps and put her cart away… which may have prevented it from hitting someone else’s car or being in someone else’s way. How long would it have taken her… 30 seconds? Were those 30 seconds really so important as to be that lazy and to be blunt, that selfish?
In the same breath, what caused woman number two to take an extra 30 seconds or a minute and put those rogue carts away with no one telling her to do so, and no real reason other than just doing a good deed? I know it’s easy for me to sit here and say all this as I could have gotten out of my car to put the first woman’s cart away myself. I did actually think about it. By the way, I DID put my cart away, and a few extras that didn’t quite make it into the rack.
It isn’t all about carts in parking lots though. If this truly is the season of giving… give something back to those around you. If you have a full cart at the grocery store and the person behind you only has one item, why not let them in front of you? If someone buying coffee is a few cents short, could you give it to them? I don’t think it’s that difficult to be nice to others, and it’s not a hard thing to do. To tell the truth, even smilling at someone who looks a little down might be enough. Sometimes I think it probably takes more effort to be inconsiderate. If everyone would try to do a few good deeds this time of year for others instead of only thinking about themselves I think it would be a much brighter season all around.
I guess the grinch said it best:
He puzzled and puzzled till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more!
