The lead up.

Grocery store day. Too many just wandering around aimlessly people but almost all were masked. We were this week. As we’d interacted with a lot of folk outside our comfort zone in recent days, we thought it the responsible thing to do. Then we got in line and some very old dude connected to tubes leading to a black box in his cart started literally breathing down Mr. Big Food’s neck. Please step back. Doesn’t budge.

JoAnnie is on it. Stops everything, takes his stuff to the office to be rung up quickly…. . … She explains that he’s Mr. COPD and he sometimes passes out. His daughter is a nurse and she tells him to stay home but he likes his independence.

We offer our whatevers and get the hell out. And of course Mr. COPD is now in his car and letting us know he has COPD. And we offer our whatevers.

Let’s stop and examine the independence premise. He’s not independent. He depended on JoAnnie to recognize he wasn’t doing well– which is the neighborly thing to do– and to take swift action on his behalf. He depended on Tommy, the manager who is not an exemplar of a healthy male, to huff & puff and walk back & forth to the office to ring up his groceries, … and eventually to bring him change for his $18.37 of his groceries. ($18.37.) He was also dependent on JoAnnie to excuse his poor behavior by recounting his COPD story to us. Did I mention that the heat index was already over 100* at 8am?

Dependent. Selfish. Irresponsible. Disrespectful. I’m going with those. Awe heck. Let’s add idiotic to the mix. If your O2 is delivered via a tube and you deem proclaiming your independence over 18 bucks worth of groceries is worth nearly passing out in a grocery store when it’s 100* in the shade, you really are an idiot.

Not the best start but ritual post-grocery shopping rituals eased our mood. Then some outside chores before it gets too hot (!) ending with hauling in some Hungarian peppers which really need to be watered but I’ll ask The J-Man if he wouldn’t mind. By the end, it was so hot that even with my new doo I thought I was going to fall over. So a little sit down was in order.

In order but ill advised.

And then it occurred to me! For some number of hours tomorrow I will not know, nor will I care, what’s going on in the world! Sounds relaxing.