The winter bug has bit again. Apparently the Bardsley house is a fun place for germs to chillax until spring. I finally dragged myself to the doctor, positive I had strep throat, only to discover it was some sort of “–itis” requiring antibiotics.
While I waited for the pharmacist next door to fill my order, I roamed our local QFC and made some really bad decisions.
If you had to jot down your top three comfort foods for when you’re sick, what would they be? For me it’s 7UP, chocolate milk and orange juice. I know what you’re thinking. Those are drinks, not food! Plus, the combination is disgusting.
I don’t know what to tell you except I was really sick. But I did add doghnuts, a submarine sandwich and some ridiculously expensive out-of-season watermelon into the cart too.
I don’t normally grocery shop at 5 p.m., especially without kids, so the other shoppers were unfamiliar to me. Many of them were elderly, and I felt like a real jerk for exposing them to my germs. People with susceptible immune systems are right to be freaked out by public spaces, especially near the Tylenol aisle.
So there I was with my brain fumbling over simple decisions, “Kleenex or Puffs?” when I noticed a man chatting with the butcher. The gentleman didn’t have anything in his cart and it was a very animated conversation that lasted several minutes. Later on, I realized that the man talked with other store workers too. It was as if his whole point in coming to the grocery store was to converse with clerks. Everyone seemed to know him and nobody looked annoyed that he didn’t purchase anything.
What struck me was how much grace and respect the QFC employees offered this customer, and how much their social interaction seemed to mean to him.
Now, I should probably confess that I was liberally dosed up on Children’s Triaminic, and by “liberally” I mean I followed the directions for an 8-year-old. That’s small enough that I am still safe to drive, but large enough that the whole world seems very profound. Keep me away from the Hallmark aisle, because I will sob.
Driving home that evening, I thought about a person in my life who visits a grocery store on a daily basis, not necessarily for food, but for company. The workers at the Stanwood Haggen probably have no idea that to me, she is one of the most important persons in the world. I prayed hard that the Haggen employees are equally as kind as the people at QFC.
I’ve long admired grocery clerks. They memorize long strings of numbers, stand on their feet all day and have outstanding visual-spatial skills that allow them to pack grocery bags efficiently. Those are all jobs they get paid for, but they also do the unquantifiable.
Sometimes, the most nourishing food at the grocery store is a friendly face.
Jennifer Bardsley is an Edmonds mom of two. Find her on Twitter @jennbardsley and at www.heraldnet.com/ibrakeformoms and teachingmybabytoread.com.
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