Tiffany M. Davis

Total word count goal: 50,000

Total blog post goal: 30

Today’s word count: 1,867

Today’s blog count: 25

Total words written: 43,932

Total blog posts: 25

If you think that the milk of human kindness runs through your veins, the quickest way to test this theory is to go grocery shopping during the week of Thanksgiving or Christmas.

I did that today, and it really tested my patience, temper, and love for my fellow man.

Since Thanksgiving (here, in the USA) is this Thursday, and since that means a shortened work week for many, some go ahead and use vacation time for the whole week. Thanksgiving is the largest, if not one of the largest, travel time here in the States, as people travel to be with loved ones, stuff themselves on turkey, duck, maybe ham, and/or goose (or tofurkey, if you’re a vegetarian), and watch football all day. Needless to say, in preparation for this gloriously gluttonous event, stores are packed every day up until that day. Most, like me, try to shop a few days in advance so as to avoid the panicked, last-minute crowds.

The line to turn into the store parking lot was backed up down the street, halfway to the previous traffic light.  That should have been my first clue but, since this was my first time shopping at this particular store this year for Thanksgiving (I shop there regularly for everyday food needs, and was a bit spoiled by not having to fight too hard for a parking space), I was a bit taken aback.Then I remembered my above comment and surmised that there were a lot of people  there who’d taken the week off. Anyway, I found a parking spot as someone was leaving (a row over from where I usually park–no big deal), grabbed a shopping  cart, and sallied forth.

I almost turned back around, but the siren call of excellently priced fresh produce, wines, and meats kept me there 9it’s why I shop there in the first place).

The place was cart bumper to cart bumper–literally. A traffic cop would have been welcome, since there was an overabundance of people who either 1) had never been there before; 2) didn’t shop there regularly; or 3) were so overwhelmed by their shopping list that they parked their carts in the middle of consumer traffic, trying to get a clue. Or worse, just standing in congested traffic areas (like narrow aisles/sections) having an at-length conversation about a product, oblivious to those who want to enter that section as well. When in the midst of shopping traffic that could have rivaled the Indy 500, that wasn’t a wise thing to do. Some of the worse culprits were the elders; I had the misfortune of almost running over some of the AARP posse, as they meandered their carts with little regard for anyone or anything but their God-given right to stretch their fixed incomes by virtue of the wonderful prices at this shopping establishment.

I was so frustrated at one point, I was calling on God, Jesus, Allah, Buddha, and some other deities too–I needed all the help I could get. Indeed, I greatly wished for a large speaker from which blasted the rapper Ludacris’s curse-laden ode to slow drivers (Caution: NSFW–profanity):

(work with me, y’all; I’m still a work in progress)

Anyway, thanks to my detailed list and knowledge of the store’s layout, I was able to get in and out without too much hassle or bloodshed. Still, I’m not looking forward to Christmas shopping. Maybe I’ll start next week. 🙂

Wrimos and BloPos, seven more days till the finish line! WOOOOO!!!

Thanks for stopping by.