I’ve realized basic humanity comes down to two types of people – those who help the cashier bag their groceries and those who just stand there and watch.
I was in line at the grocery store today, 8:30 a.m. mind you. The one thing I will sacrifice sleep for is avoiding crowds, especially on the Friday before Christmas. Thankfully, my early rising saved me and my anxiety from jockeying around hoards of people today.
So as I was waiting in line to check out, there was a mother and adult son in front of me. They had a shit ton of stuff. One by one (and one and one and one – I’m telling you, it was a lot of stuff) the cashier scanned their things and hurriedly tried to pack them up as the line behind me was growing longer and longer. I looked up and the woman and son were just standing there, judgmentally eyeing which bag she put which item in.
I felt like screaming to the mom and son “geez, fucking help her!” I couldn’t believe these two able-bodied people just stood there like bumps on a log watching this harried young girl do all the work. They couldn’t be bothered to lift a finger as if to say “not my job”. I hate that saying so much. I see it exhibited way too often in this world.
After the bumpy customers paid for their $300 grocery order and left, it was my turn, “hi, how are you? By the way, I can bag my own stuff.” The cashier looked so relieved when I said that. She exhaled, “it’s hard when you have to bag all the stuff yourself and people are staring at you. I said “yeah, especially when they don’t help at all!”
She beamed, “I’m so glad you said that, I thought it was just me. I said “nope, I was back there watching them thinking, help a sister out!” She smiled, her expression saying “thank you for empathizing with my pain.” And I did. I did my time in the retail world when I was younger. It’s a thankless job.
But she got a big thank you from me as I was leaving and she thanked me for bagging. She said “have a Merry Christmas” and I knew she meant it. I could see the look in her eyes of gratitude, simply because I bagged my own groceries. I wished her a Merry Christmas and I hoped she could see how much I meant it too.
There are people in this world who can’t be bothered to help others, the “not my job” people. And then there are those who help bag groceries, who see that we’re all just human beings who could use a helping hand sometimes, even when it’s not in any job description.
Which kind of person are you?
So this holiday season, and always, help a sister (or brother) out. It often goes a long way in making someone’s day which in turn, will make yours too.
Merry Christmas!
❤️
CM
12/22/23
