A Shopping Cart Full of Goodies

March 30, 2017

I went to WalMart on Halloween. When I made it to the check-out counter, there was a woman in front of me who was unloading her cart. I watched as she arranged a puzzle, a book, a bunch of cokes, and  some pudding on the conveyor belt. Her total was less than $30 and she was "set".

I didn't exchange a single word with the woman. I was probably picking up lettuce and bread and milk and bananas and eggs. Those are items I buy almost every time I make a quick run for essentials.  I may not be able to remember what was in my cart now, but I do know that I was letting watching her distract me from the things that were on my mind. I remember thinking her haul was a pretty great little round-up and wondering what it was that I would include in my "ingredients for a perfect evening" shopping list.

I wondered why it was that that's what she was leaving WalMart with. Did she come in intending to buy those items? Had she just received bad news and wandered around the store picking up items as she went? Maybe they weren't even for her? Maybe she was buying them to bring to someone else who needed a little cheering up?

I stood in line behind her, fighting back tears and willing myself to look alive.

The feeling that my world was crashing in was threatening to overwhelm me. I stood there wondering just how many other people around me were dealing with the same feelings. If I'm honest, the tears I was doing my best to hold back were welling up in my eyes just waiting to spill over. I held them off. No one had any reason to know or suspect that something might be very wrong.

I focused on the puzzle and the book and the cokes and the pudding. I'm here now almost a month later mostly doing a lot better. I'm still thinking about that woman and her shopping cart full of goodies and wondering what they were for and what goodies I would put in mine if given the chance.

What would be in your shopping cart full of goodies?

PS I've read this post over a million times.

I know it sounds sad and pitiful...

But, it's not meant to. 

I've gone back and forth on whether

I should just make it about the lady.

But, I've decided to leave it the way it is.