Silver Linings

Some days (ok, more often than not) it's the little things that bother me. Take, for instance, shopping carts. It irks me that so many people are incapable of just cleaning up after themselves and putting away their cart. Why no, I really don't enjoy trying to put away my cart after you've left yours sideways in the shopping cart return. Would it have been so hard to just push it into line with another cart? Apparently so. Don't even get me started on the fun of throwing out someone else's trash that they've left behind in the cart. Sometimes I can skip that cart, but on high volume days (think holidays) it's just not an option. All together now - eeeeewwww.

Despite my dislike for those habits, I was grateful for them today. BUMD is tackling the lawn, so I decided to take the kids grocery shopping. C was not at all enthused with the idea. I told him if this was the only thing he didn't want to do, I'd let him stay home. Given that "I don't want to" is so often his initial reaction to many activities, I told him to suck it up and behave. Usually he gets over his initial reluctance and actually has fun. Not so today. We were standing in front of Scary Teeter, trying to decide which cart to take. A wanted to ride in one of the car carts, but they'd been left haphazardly in the sun instead of in the shady spot right next to it. Full disclaimer - the kids are 20 and 26 months apart. I took them shopping together when they were little and still managed to return the cart - hence my irritation at the lazy people.

So there we were, debating the cart options, when C said that he didn't feel good. I asked him if he was going to throw up and he said yes. I reached into the suddenly perfectly parked cart, grabbed the flier that was conveniently still in it, and held it under C's face just in time to catch the vomit. I managed to get most of it, leaving the sidewalk splattered with just a tiny bit instead of a large bio hazard zone. I really didn't want to ask their staff to clean that up. Once he was done, we headed straight back home. My shopping list had also taken a hit, so there was no sense in trying to stay. C got his way after all. It was a nice day for a drive anyway, and K offered up the airline sickness bag that she keeps in her seat area for the drive home. The fact that she has one ready should tell you how often the kids get car sick. That she still has it several months after the last plane trip shows how much things have improved in that category.

I suppose I could complain that the last customer didn't leave a bag in the cart to help me catch things, but I'll just shut up about it all now. Sometimes, the things that bother you turn out to be the things that save you. It's like a sign I have: "Life is 10% how you make it, and 90% how you take it." So, so true, especially today.