Zap! The shock made me jump and shake my hand. “Wow, that got me good” I thought and slammed my door shut. I looked at the scarf I was wearing. Although it may have been keeping me warmer it wasn’t helping me relax much. Everything I touched kept trying to electrocute me. I wondered if this was what a cattle prod might feel like but didn’t dwell on the thought for more than a second because my time was valuable.
I hadn’t been home in a couple days other than to visit my pillow for a brief stint and my refrigerator was quite barren. It lacked even the bare minimum of soda for the hubby or fresh coffee beans for myself. Caffeine lack could lead to issues in our household so this was not a neglect I could afford.
I maneuvered my cart down the aisles of the store as though I was some Nascar amateur, barely missing the slow movers and even cutting off the lethargic teen who meandered one step too slow, beating him to the express lane. I’m pretty sure it was his jeans worn down around his thighs and not on his waist, which hindered his ability to walk normal.
In all my distraction and hurry however, I saw no one who smiled nor acted pleasant. My checkout clerk even gifted me with an extra snide comment when I asked her a question. Listening to Christmas music playing throughout the store and seeing evergreen trees stacked out front had given me an expectation for seasonal cheer, but this was more like the Ebenezer Scrooge experience. Time to bring my own cheer to the season rather than expect it from my surroundings.