Indulge me if you will, and allow me to open my dark saying upon this electronic harp.  And while it may not be the same kind of harp as a man by the name of David used some years ago, nevertheless I think it will suffice to convey the tone of my meditation.

Not all shopping cart stories are created equal.  Realizing that, I think I can take permission and tell you mine, even though my friend Sarah did a very fine job of telling hers not so long ago on her blog. 

I was parked in row 12, waiting for my good wife to finish up a few odds and ends on her shopping list and decided I’d run in and quick grab a couple of things I needed.

It was a windy day.  Enough so that carts didn’t stay put, caps didn’t stay on, and car doors needed to be opened in a synchronized way or a) a small wind tunnel would ensue if both were opened at the same time, blowing all the stored contents out naked into the wind, or b) the person on the wrong side of the vehicle ran a good chance of getting their fingers mashed in the door as it came shut with extra force because of above said wind tunnel.

I was on my way into Walmart when I came even with him.  He wasn’t from a windy country originally, as both his skin color and actions with his cart told. 

He was a mere 30 feet from the front doors of the store, and a good 60 feet from the nearest cart corral.  The decision seemed easy to me; run that cart back in and be done. 

But no. 

There was a yellow steel post pylon right there.  He was trying to park his cart alongside it, rather, in the middle of nowhere, and the wind kept taking his cart as soon as he let go. 

He’d let go, and hope.  The cart would start leaving.  He’d catch it and bring it back to the post.  I could have told him if he’d park it broadside to the post, and broadside to the wind, he might have better luck than going alongside the post and with the wind, but, I didn’t.

Because by then I was angry. 

I have seen so many carts running AWOL in my day, eventually slamming with 40 m.p.h. force into the sides of cars and I sort of lost my cool that day. 

I stepped up to his cart, as he gave one last feeble attempt at parking it and grabbed it just as it was leaving.  I (okay, I’ll admit it) was angered more by the fact that he didn’t see me grab it in a not so kindly way.  I was pious, pompous, and mostly provoked all at once for a bit there, as I whisked that cart 30 feet up to the store and rolled it into the area where all forlorn shopping carts wait for their next dance partner.

*****

It was only a couple of days later that I was in town again, this time to pick up a trailer load of solar modules. 

After I was loaded and boomed down, I saw I had a low tire on my trailer.  Low enough that I didn’t want to travel all the way home; I knew with as much weight as I had on that it would blow.

The place where I had grabbed some air on a previous trip was packed full; I knew I could loop in there, but the exit strategy was left wanting.

I saw another place just a couple of blocks over.  I remembered this was the place that had all the nice sayings on the sign outside.  The last one had read, “If God has a refrigerator, your picture is on it.”  I figured the guys there must be decent, so I pulled up alongside.  The guy I met outside acted a little somehow about airing up my tire.  He said he didn’t know if he could do it.  I didn’t know what he meant for sure; like, did he not have the mental acuity to?  So, I said, “Well, there’s your air hose, I’ll just run it out myself and air up my tire.” 

He said no, I needed to ask another guy who was just then walking up.  I told him what I needed, and he said, “Sure, as soon as this car moves, we can air up your tire.  It will be $5.”

$5

To air up a tire.

I’m still surprised and happy to say I didn’t blow my own tires at his remark, although I had to counsel quite sternly with myself to keep it from happening. 

*****

Since when, I’d like to ask, has it been okay to charge for common decency?

And who, I’d like to know, said it was okay to depart from an age-old command to ‘treat others like you want to be treated?’

I’m guessing no one person is responsible for the answer to either of those questions.

I’m thinking this attitude and behavior has been lurking around ever since a man and his sweetheart, whom, as I recall, where living in a garden at the time, had a little contention on what they should have for supper.

It looks like, in a sense, covid 19 had a way of exposing this despicable trait in the human race.  Multitudes, it seems, townsfolk who we thought were good hearted and decent, have succumbed to the easy way, the selfish way.

Just the other day, we got a freq drive that we had ordered.  It had no screen readout when we booted it up.  When we called about it, the guy acted terribly concerned, saying there were only two in the U.S. and how it was so hard to keep them around, and yet he never offered a helping hand even though he had sold it to us.  It was up to us to source a fix.

Okay.  I’ll stop harping on this. 

There’s a little saying that I remember reading when I was a wee lad.  It talked about being quiet enough in my mind to accept the things I couldn’t change, change the things I could, and having wisdom to know the difference in the two.

I challenge myself then, to look for areas that I can change.  Even in the smallest things.  Like my attitude about the guy with cart.  Perhaps that’s a good place to start.  I can’t change the folks intent on leaving their carts where they wish, but if my attitude is in the right place, who knows what opportunities will present themselves to me.

And. 

If you ever happen by my place with a low tire, I’d be most pleased to air it up for you. 

I’m quite sure I’ll be happier than you when you leave.

Because that’s how common decency works.