Us East Coast peeps know. Wawa. It’s practically a religion. It’s the Garden of Eden of convenience stores.
7-Eleven – nah.
Starbucks – too intimidating. What the hell does venti mean anyway?
And random gas station mini-mart down the street – puh-leeze! Wawa is where it’s at. Coffee you can make yourself with whatever head-turning concoction suits you that day. Snacks for days – string cheese, goldfish, Cheetos (not the puffs please). You need a turkey sandwich and hot macaroni and cheese at 2:00 am to stave off that inevitable hangover tomorrow? Sold! It’s the epitome of all that is right with the world.
I call myself a Wawa loyalist. Sounds like a political party. I’m a staunch supporter. Republicans – elephant. Democrats – donkey. Wawaians – goose. (Wawa is the Native American word for goose, hence their logo. Look you learned something today!)
Anyway, on one of my daily (yes daily, often twice, sometimes even thrice – don’t judge me) trips to Wawa, I learned a few things. Not only does Wawa have delicious coffee and snacks but it teaches you about life. So here are some observations/lessons I have learned from my various trips to the happiest place on Earth (no not Disneyland):
Life Lesson 1 – It’s the Little Things in Life
You don’t want a sinful bag of Doritos today? No problem, fresh fruit is at your fingertips. Okay, ready to go and pick up my daily healthy banana. Skip on in the door, peer towards the banana tower and what do I see? They’re all overripe! Damn! No banana for me today. The new banana shipment must have been late. Not Wawa’s fault.
I’ll go in for a closer look.
Well what do ya know? Sitting there on the bottom shelf alone like a sad puppy at the pound is one last perfectly ripe banana. Just a smidge of green at the top – perfect, just how I like it. Lucky me!
I was just thinking how I felt a little sad today. No real reason. I always have an ever-circulating undercurrent of sadness. It’s okay, just how it is. Believe me, I’m used to it. This banana find just perked me right up though. I say to myself, don’t be sad, it’s gonna be a great day now!
It really is the little things in life.
Life Lesson 2 – Patience
Now I’m in the check-out line with my very special banana. The guy in front of me looks pissed. Hmm…explains why the line for the other cashier has 100 people and he’s by himself. Who wants to stand near angry guy. It never fails, I always get in the wrong line.
Anyway, the 80-year-old cashier wasn’t ringing him up fast enough for his liking. Something wrong with her register it seemed. (I’m with ya lady, technology hates me too.) Pissed guy was in a hurry. Who isn’t these days? His patience was dwindling by the second. He had to go he said. Well don’t we all? I love Wawa and all but I usually try not to make my visits there an all day affair.
What to do? Should I stay in this line or move? Stay, move, stay move. Hmm… I remembered something I always say to myself in these types of situations – never change your lane! It never works!
So I stayed, patiently waiting behind Mr. Impatient. Finally, the manager came over to help, furiously pressed some buttons and bam, problem solved. Frustrated guy was free to go about his day. This whole encounter took maybe two minutes. This guy’s exasperated facial expressions and obnoxious fidgeting would have made you think it took two hours. No patience.
My turn. Wanted to be extra nice to this woman. Smiled and asked her how she was. Looked her in the eye as she gave me my change and told her I hoped she enjoyed the rest of her day. Told her like I really meant it because I really did. What I hoped to see in this 80-year-old woman was someone who was choosing to work because she’s still spry and young at heart and has too much energy to just sit home all day in retirement.
What I did not want to see was an 80-year-old woman who had no choice but to take this job because she needs the money and social security just isn’t cutting it. I couldn’t tel which it wasl. I really hope for her sake it’s the former.
So hey guy in front of me, have some freakin patience! You never know what a person is going through. Give them a break.
Life Lesson 3 – Appreciation
So when I lived in Colorado I went through withdrawal. Wawa withdrawal. There are no Wawas out there! How do these people live? 7-Eleven, Circle K, Starbucks everywhere! But no Wawa.
Oh how it made me appreciate the little conveniences we take for granted every single day. Especially the convenience of my favorite convenience store. Not just a convenience store, but a symbol of home, familiarity, comfort. First thing I would do every time I came back to PA for a visit was to go to Wawa. It’s like saying hello to a long lost friend. A loyal friend who is always there when you need them. And at my local Wawa at least, there’s always a good chance I’ll run into someone I know there.
If I don’t see you at the bar, I’m sure I’ll run into you at Wawa. I think that’s pretty cool.
There’s no place like home.
Life Lesson 4 – Don’t Be Afraid To Try Something New
So for two weeks I noticed a new brand of potato chips at my local Wawa. Not just any potato chips, these were a crazy hybrid of BBQ + Salt and Vinegar. In one chip! What crazy magician came up with this concoction?!
I thought about buying them but said to myself, eh, they’re probably gross. Eh, why bother wasting my money. Eh, I should be buying more bananas, not chips. Eh, eh, eh.
For two weeks those chips stared at me every day until one day it was as if my hand was not part of my own body, and it reached over and just grabbed them. I had finally given in, well my hand did.
I got home, opened that bag for the big reveal, put that chip in my mouth and guess what? Probably one of the best chips I’ve ever had! I so overthought buying these chips and worrying about trying something new that I stressed myself out about it! Yeah, my brain is weird.
Wawa taught me, don’t be afraid. Jump in and try those new chips.
You never know unless you try!
Life Lesson 5 – It Could Be Worse
They work on Christmas!
I work a lot of holidays too at my restaurant job but Wawa is open 365 days of the year. I hope they get extra holiday pay. I appreciate those people who work on those days that no one else wants to.
I used to have a 9-5 office job at the Death Star. Back then I couldn’t fathom how people worked on weekends/holidays. Now I am one of those people.
I wouldn’t have it any other way.
So I see those people working on holidays and no, I don’t feel bad for them per se. It just reminds me how my life could be worse and I could still be stuck in that soul-sucking cubicle at the Death Star praying for Han Solo to rescue me from the Evil Empire.
Life Lesson 6 – Courtesy – Philly Style
Everyone’s heard the joke: Wawa – where people will go out of their way to hold the door open for you but then run you over in the parking lot. True, but hey, it’s Philly.
I have noticed people do go out of their way to hold Wawa doors more than any other retail door. It’s a weird Philadelphia anomaly. I don’t know what it is about this place, but it brings out kindness in people.
The other day I was third in line waiting to pay for my beloved daily cup of heaven. The first lady in line couldn’t find her wallet. Lost? Stolen? Forgot it at home? Either way, she left empty handed. The man in front of me told the clerk he wanted to buy her purchases. He bought them and raced out the door just as she was getting into her car. He handed this woman, a complete stranger, her bag of goodies and her face lit up. I saw the man on my way out and told him how nice of a gesture that was. He just smiled, shrugged his shoulders and said, it’s just what you do.
Such compassion, such generosity. Warmed my heart. We’re not all heartless bastards in the Northeast.
Wawa – bringing out the best in all of us.
So these are just a few life lessons, words of wisdom, acts of kindness, gestures of humanity that we can all take a page from, no matter where your favorite spot is to get your caffeine fix.
I wonder what Wawa will teach me tomorrow?
CM
2/5/20 (Yep, started this in February and it’s now December. Procrastination strikes again.)
