Kindness

Sam's club needs smokers who can stick to their regularly scheduled breaks.  I had to stand impatiently waiting for an employee who had sprinted to the family bathroom just ahead of me and my public-toilet-terrified child and slammed the door.  Ten minutes and clouds of tobacco fumes later, we finally managed to accomplish our goal with a fair amount of stress and panic.

So my nerves were completely frayed by the time we had our cart full and were checking out.

"I'm sorry, there seems to be a problem with your membership card." Sigh.  It appears my card isn't working and they need to make a new one.  So we head for the desk.  Snap.  New picture.  No, still not working.  By now I've lost my place in line and have transferred my (hopeful) purchases to the cart.  The account is good, but my card isn't.  Finally we figure it out.  My card was through my father's business.  And he died.  And his estate is still being settled.  Oh the joys of disassembling a life, one precious memory at a time.

What must I do to please, oh please check out?

I need a new card.  Fine.  At this point my daughter is attempting to turn somersaults on the floor and climbing the help desk simultaneously.  I'm going to miss my precious rare lunch date with a human over the age of 20--my husband. And the Sam's employee claims she "has to" give me the sales pitch.  Oh mercy.  You don't say?  Free boxtops for my school? A hundred?  Wow.  Amazing.  Please tell me more.  (That's what I said in my head.)  Finally I broke in, "please just give me the cheapest membership where I can still purchase gas."  She swore she had to finish the sales pitch.  Heaven help me.

Just then C darts away from me.  I track her down, chatting merrily with one of the volunteers who watched children for the MOPS chapter I attend.  I exchange the needed pleasantries and cart my wiggling child back to the un-help desk to finish whatever I must do to, if I am very lucky, purchase all this STUFF and get out.  Then the MOPS volunteer, called Miss Lynn approaches me politely.  "It seem you have your hands full, could I help entertain her while you finish your transaction?"  Oh goodness yes.  Thank you.  She listened to all of C's happy prattle and kept her out of the danger while I finally managed to purchase the membership and check out.

Miss Lynn says some kind and gracious words and then goes on her way.

And without listing the litany of our troubles right now, I can say that act of kindness, at that moment, was the world to me.  Maybe, just maybe, things would be looking up.  Because a person decided to be kind.