Nobody will ever believe that this blog was inspired by a grocery cart at Wal-Mart, although many will nod their heads in agreement when I provide my logic behind it.
Turning 40 has shown my once healthy body that my body is really in charge of things, saying "Oh now you I'm going to make you pay for forcing this body to grow up much quicker than it was comfortable doing so. Having a baby at 17! That is NOT supposed to be how this human body thing works! Although, I may say that I have done quite a fine job serving as an incubator and loving nourisher to three amazing children". OK....I'll give my body that - it was thrown into adulthood and all of the wonderful roles adulthood plays quite too early.
As such, I have had some unforseen health issues that have resulted in some reflection about my life, love, family, career, academic career, and most recently, my health which I think has decided to take a much needed vacation from my body. This blog will discuss some of my health issues, because this is when my observations began. But it will definitely not be a blog discussing my aches and pains! It will mention them in the context of how I see humanity while facing a particular issues. You see, being limited in your mobility brings challenges. I have always been one who I believe has a heightenend level of awareness with regard to human interaction, relationships and communication. Therefore, I had a fine level of human interaction to think about an analyze.
I often wonder about the traits that made us the society that we are, the struggles that our founders faced and the relationships that they had eventually leading to a powerful, caring, God Loving , strong, protective and proud nation. This blog was created to bring to light, in a light-hearted way, some of my observations that show we are losing the basic fabric of who we are. On the other hand, I often see little things that pull us back to the loving humanity that we are. Unfortunatetly, at the rate we are going - the bad is pulling us farther down than the good can serve as our little inflatable arm floats that help us tread water.
So how does this whole Wal-Mart shopping cart fit into this? I think some of you have already figured this one out, because we have like-minded individuals out there floating around this country. I stay away from Wal-Mart, because I do not care for their financial practices and corporate structure but also because the fact that there are shopping carts left out in the parking lot - to block parking stalls, to blow into a car and leave damage - brings a underlying brewing of my blood that bubbles and simmers throughout my entire shopping experience. This is where my first vision of the slightest little decline in humanity the way it used to be was starting to fall. No....Wal-Mart does not pay its employees to go strategically place shopping carts in locations where they will induce the highest level of rage. Wal-Mart really has nothing to do with this at all. It is here, in this split second decision in the mind of the shopper when they have finished unloading their kids, elderly parent, spouse - whoever into their vehicle and quickly look around. What are they thinking when they are looking? They look at the cart corral, and back to the car. "Should I take the cart back? The cart corral is only 3 cars away. But its really cold, and I just walked like 5 miles inside that store......I just don't think my little ol ankles can carry me any farther to take this cart back." So, who will take that cart back then? For the life of me, in my mind, I cannot imagine anyone, let alone one who would shop at a WalMart for goodness sake, would feel so entitled that they would allow a complete stranger do what is their civic duty? Weren't we all taught that if we took something out, that we should put it away? Wasn't that one of those "We Learned this in Kindergarten" things? Do we expect employees to go on an elusive cart hunt in the parking lot and bus stops when our expectations of the employees inside the store dont even include eye contact with the customer or a grunt of a hello? SOMEBODY who did not get that cart out is going to have to put that cart away.
Conversation #1 - You are shopping and need a cart. When you are finished purchasing the items that you have been blessed to have the funds to purchase, and when you tuck your family into your car - again blessed because you have a family. Do the right thing and take your shopping cart and park it in its proper place in the cart corral or inside. I guarantee the person who is "getting paid" to track down rogue carts doesn't give a crap how special you think you feel that you deserve other people to do your work. Seriously people - you are not entitled to have your cart parked for you. The only person who is entitled to that kind of treatment is Jesus Christ.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
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