Every day there are at least a half-dozen headlines or events that make me shake my head in disbelief. You, too, I’m sure.
What are people thinking? Do they think at all?
This morning, I had a first-hand view of the ugliness and stupidity some people embody.
I was in the supermarket — where, it seems, humanity’s full range of foibles seems to be on display 24/7 — minding my own business. I had just pulled around the corner of one of the produce aisles and was considering the display of cucumbers.
When a sour-faced old man decided I hadn’t pulled my cart far enough over to the left and proceeded to PLOW HIS CART INTO ME.
He spoke no words, but like an 18-wheeler in the chase scene of one of those action/adventure movies Basil likes to watch, the idiot just kept on coming at me, scraping his cart along the side of mine, catching my index finger in the process.
It was about this time that I had another finger I wanted to give him, but instead I drew a deep breath and said, “Excuse you?”
Whereupon he unleashed a long nasty diatribe about how I was too far out into the aisle and I should have moved. “It’s like parking a car,” he spat at me before the woman across from us told him to behave himself. They must know each other because although he continued to glower at me, he moved his cart.
I continued on my way, fighting the overwhelming urge to act in kind rather than turn the other cheek. (And relieved I hadn’t met up with him in the parking lot!)
Ya know, I try — very hard — to give people the benefit of the doubt, to be empathetic, put myself in their shoes. But this guy needed a good swift kick in the ass.
I settled instead for calling him a rude name under my breath.
Pushing on a Rope 
Oh I can actually feel what you musta been feeling and although I’ve gotten better at turning the cheek thing…I can seriously see myself chasing him with my cart plowing into him over and over…ok calm down kujo. Anywhooo I try to pretend these people are sick or just found out some horrific tragedy and that I should just pray for them…right after I curse em out
Posted by grapesgripesandgratitude | August 31, 2012, 2:16 pm🙂
Posted by Terri S. Vanech | August 31, 2012, 7:46 pmMust have been in the air yesterday. I had a similar experience on the avenue yesterday with a car stopped in the right lane waiting for a parking space on the left side. She rolled down her window to scream at me as I tried to pass, prohibiting her from having the right of way across the entire avenue to her reserved space!!!
Posted by Mary | August 31, 2012, 11:28 amMaybe it’s the full moon?! Glad you escaped the road rage unscathed!
Posted by Terri S. Vanech | August 31, 2012, 11:31 amGood for you for keeping your cool, I admire you! The old man might have dementia or other mental problems, so sometimes it’s better to overlook things! XXXXOOOOO
Posted by Carol Fedele | August 31, 2012, 10:05 amCarol, that occurred to me, but I have to say, he seemed very clear-headed. Just very angry. I confess I considered moving his cart when he left it to grab a pie. But I was good. 😉
Posted by Terri S. Vanech | August 31, 2012, 10:07 am