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Sometimes You Just Gotta Draw the Line.....at Wal-Mart

It would be very easy for me to write a post for every single time I go to Wal-Mart, but I don't really want to be one of those bloggers!

I'm glad to say that while I have made many trips to the store that E-Roc considers that downfall of small business that most of those trips are fairly pleasant. I always expect Wal-Mart to be crowded, loud and full of annoyances. If you know that going in, you just can't be offended, peeps.

I don't think there has ever been an occasion that I have visited the big W without seeing someone I know. That's the Small City/Big Town I live in. What can you do?

A few weeks ago I saw one of the L&D nurses who helped birth Little Boy. I went over and talked to her. She seemed genuinely touched and surprised that I would remember her. Are you kidding me? You helped me squeeze that big ole Charlie Brown head out, my friend! You have a permanent place in my memory!

I have seen many old "friends" in Wal-Mart. People from my past and not-so-distant life. It really depends on how I feel on any given day as to whether or not I will make friendly chit-chat or even nod or wave hello. I've gotten pretty good at the "ghost" shopping.

"Was that Becky? I don't know! She skitted away so fast!"

Heh, heh.

I did that today.

I saw a woman shopping who I had known back in school. We had even worked together at one time. I used to think she was a really cool gal. Until I saw her last summer while her children and my Little Boy were playing at the park. She had grown so cold over the years. So conceited. She didn't like the children her boys were playing with at the park. She talked smack about another girl we had once gone to school with. Dissed her for having a "nervous breakdown" after her divorce that required her to move in with her mother.

I was so disappointed by so many of the things she said. I couldn't get away fast enough. And I was not about to be sucked into another conversation like that again today, so I ghosted away pretty quickly from her cart filled with it's organic produce, juice boxes and gleaming blonde children.

No thanks.

To be fair, she may have seen me and wanted to get away too. Fair enough.

But I did take the time to shoot the breeze with my friendly Wally World check-out lady. Now you may disagree, but I have found many of the Wal-Mart checkers to be very friendly and helpful. You just gotta ask them how their day is and care about the fact that they're tired and it has been a long day. Would you want that job? Seriously, some compassion and friendly banter goes a long way with a person who stands up all day.

This lady and I had something in common because we used to live in the same apartment building. (I never forget a face even if I don't know a name!) We chatted about the complex, the people who run it, and about her dog that I used to see her walking. She told me that she had lived in a 2 bedroom with her dad before he died and then she moved into a smaller one later. I always just saw her as a lady who looked kind of aloof out walking her dog. Turns out she works at Wal-Mart and took care of her aging father before he died. She was a real-live person.

And probably way nicer than that yucky girl I went to school with.
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