Sunday, April 16, 2006
Accidental Spring :-)
Accidental Spring :-)
by K.M. Samet
I had to run out to do a few errands this afternoon, haven't been shopping lately and everything finally reached a critical mass and I HAD to go get some food and household supplies (I must be the only female in the world who despises shopping ! LOL).
I'd been putting it off until the dogs ran out of food and there was not even milk left in the fridge .. so I rather dejectedly headed off for the store.
The particular place I went to is pretty much out in the country, reasonably close to here, but very few people around, which is a huge plus since shopping is much easier when you have less people to deal with.
I listened to part of a great CD on the way, and had to even admit to myself that it was fun driving and turning up the music way louder than my neighbors would appreciate. Got to the store, did the deed and headed back for the house.
Being the wonderful navigator that I am, and also being rather distracted, I turned west instead of east, and suddenly discovered after about ten minutes that I had no i-freakin-dea where i was ! It was then I also discovered that I really needed to answer nature's call and was thirsty and out of smokes. So, I pulled into a convenience store to take care of myself. I'm usually a pretty friendly and outgoing person, I enjoy chatting with clerks in stores and just trying to make all my interactions with other people enjoyable and fun - something my dad always did (and still does) so I guess that's where I picked up the habit.
As a result of my wrong turn, I went to a little store I'd never been to before - wound up with a super friendly gal around my age for a clerk - I took my beverage to the counter and asked her for a pack of smokes - they had some kind of "buy one get one free" deal going on, on some brand I don't usually smoke, but I said to her "oh, what the heck, I'll take those - I'm living dangerously anyway". She seemed to think this was quite funny, and said she was going to die young from smoking .. I said "well, maybe not, but look at it this way - if it knocks ten years off your life, what do you really miss ... the "drooling years" ???? "
We got to laughing and talking, nothing in particular, just me - lost in the country and her stuck working on Easter Sunday for minimum wage. I left the store with a smile on my face - I noticed as I was pulling out of the parking lot she was still standing behind the counter with a smile on hers, as well. It was a nice feeling. Both ways.
Still lost, I looked for the mountains, which would head me east and back somewhere in the general direction of where I live. I knew I was gonna have an extra ten minutes added on to my drive from the wrong turn, so I cranked the CD back up, rolled down the windows and enjoyed the music, the sun shining on me, the wind whipping around me and suddenly it hit me: SPRING IS HERE! Everything is turning green....flowers are blooming... there's no longer a cold bite in the air - the sun is warm and the breeze is cool ... the farm animals were all out enjoying the day sunning themselves in the fields and pastures - it was truly a glorious afternoon! I forgot about everything for those extra 40 minutes I wound up driving - just enjoying the beautiful afternoon, listening to some great music and nothing mattered at all for that time. I FELT REALLY GOOD.
Just as Spring has renewed the earth, She smiled on me today and renewed my spirit, as well. I even smiled when I finally pulled into the drive at my house and saw the cherry tree in my backyard loaded with blossoms - the smell of them wafting through the breeze as I unloaded the groceries.
What wonderful "wrong turn". I wanted to share it with you.
by K.M. Samet
I had to run out to do a few errands this afternoon, haven't been shopping lately and everything finally reached a critical mass and I HAD to go get some food and household supplies (I must be the only female in the world who despises shopping ! LOL).
I'd been putting it off until the dogs ran out of food and there was not even milk left in the fridge .. so I rather dejectedly headed off for the store.
The particular place I went to is pretty much out in the country, reasonably close to here, but very few people around, which is a huge plus since shopping is much easier when you have less people to deal with.
I listened to part of a great CD on the way, and had to even admit to myself that it was fun driving and turning up the music way louder than my neighbors would appreciate. Got to the store, did the deed and headed back for the house.
Being the wonderful navigator that I am, and also being rather distracted, I turned west instead of east, and suddenly discovered after about ten minutes that I had no i-freakin-dea where i was ! It was then I also discovered that I really needed to answer nature's call and was thirsty and out of smokes. So, I pulled into a convenience store to take care of myself. I'm usually a pretty friendly and outgoing person, I enjoy chatting with clerks in stores and just trying to make all my interactions with other people enjoyable and fun - something my dad always did (and still does) so I guess that's where I picked up the habit.
As a result of my wrong turn, I went to a little store I'd never been to before - wound up with a super friendly gal around my age for a clerk - I took my beverage to the counter and asked her for a pack of smokes - they had some kind of "buy one get one free" deal going on, on some brand I don't usually smoke, but I said to her "oh, what the heck, I'll take those - I'm living dangerously anyway". She seemed to think this was quite funny, and said she was going to die young from smoking .. I said "well, maybe not, but look at it this way - if it knocks ten years off your life, what do you really miss ... the "drooling years" ???? "
We got to laughing and talking, nothing in particular, just me - lost in the country and her stuck working on Easter Sunday for minimum wage. I left the store with a smile on my face - I noticed as I was pulling out of the parking lot she was still standing behind the counter with a smile on hers, as well. It was a nice feeling. Both ways.
Still lost, I looked for the mountains, which would head me east and back somewhere in the general direction of where I live. I knew I was gonna have an extra ten minutes added on to my drive from the wrong turn, so I cranked the CD back up, rolled down the windows and enjoyed the music, the sun shining on me, the wind whipping around me and suddenly it hit me: SPRING IS HERE! Everything is turning green....flowers are blooming... there's no longer a cold bite in the air - the sun is warm and the breeze is cool ... the farm animals were all out enjoying the day sunning themselves in the fields and pastures - it was truly a glorious afternoon! I forgot about everything for those extra 40 minutes I wound up driving - just enjoying the beautiful afternoon, listening to some great music and nothing mattered at all for that time. I FELT REALLY GOOD.
Just as Spring has renewed the earth, She smiled on me today and renewed my spirit, as well. I even smiled when I finally pulled into the drive at my house and saw the cherry tree in my backyard loaded with blossoms - the smell of them wafting through the breeze as I unloaded the groceries.
What wonderful "wrong turn". I wanted to share it with you.
