Hanging Out at the Country Store

When I worked at a little country store in my neighborhood for several years, my boss was about 80 years old. He worked every day, pretty darned hard for a guy his age, and he always had many ideas and plans for the future!

One day in the store, I listened to that old man have a heart-to-heart talk with a young fellow in the neighborhood who was at loose ends. (I'll call him Josh.) I don't know why Josh dropped out of high school, but he did. I can't imagine why his parents permitted him to drop out, but they did. Such a shame -- Josh was a good kid.

Josh had been hanging out a lot at the store, and he had become quite friendly with my boss.

As they talked that day, it was clear that he was unsure about what he was going to do next. I think his parents were pressuring him to get a job, and certainly if he wasn't going to school, that was the next logical step.

My boss advised him to think about going into the military where he could finish his education and perhaps make a career. That was good advice, but when you tell an l8-year-old to do something for 20 years, it sounds like an eternity to them. They can't imagine that at 38 they will be still young.

The conversation went on and my boss counseled Josh to open up to his parents and really discuss the things in his heart with them.

It was evident that my boss, an old man, truly cared about and wanted to help Josh, and that Josh accepted and appreciated the affection and concern.

During the next few years, my boss was able to give Josh some fatherly advice at times that Josh probably wouldn't have liked to hear from his real father.

As it turned out, Josh didn't enlist in the Army, but he did get a job at one of the factories. Now, seven or eight years later, he's married and has a child, he's working, and he seems to be doing all right. Maybe someday he'll get his GED. I don't think it would be too difficult for him.

My boss has passed away, but he worked almost until the day he died. For him, it was like Emily Dickenson wrote: "Because I could not stop for death, Death kindly stopped for me."

I remember his relationship with young Josh as an example of the important role that elders can play in the community.

Great Email Ad Title

An advertising email this morning had an interesting title. It piqued my curiosity enough that I opened it instead of deleting it. The title was:

20 Gifts We ALL Want

I've included the link, in case you're curious what those gifts are.

The ad was from Tiger Direct, a big internet electronics firm, and it did include a few things that I would like to have. (I'm getting along OK without them, though. ) I have ordered a few things from Tiger Direct over the last several years, and I've never had any trouble with either the products or the firm.

Arms Loaded With Wrapped Christmas Gifts

I think it's a myth.

Honestly, now -- have you ever really seen anyone walking down the street with their arms stacked high with wrapped Christmas gifts?

It's a nice image, but if it ever did happen, it doesn't happen anymore. Today's shoppers lug around plastic bags stuffed with gifts that need to be wrapped after they get home.

Some stores hand out free gift boxes, but those will still have to be wrapped by the customer.

I do remember when many of the stores wrapped gifts for their customers. They had big rolls of wrapping paper hung on the end of the counter, and they wrapped them on the spot, right after you bought them.

I'm not sure why, but it seemed that the stores usually had striped wrapping paper at Christmas.

One time, a lady clerk showed me how to make fancy, spiky bows, and I still make them sometimes when I want to make a package look really special.

I must admit that I'm glad clerks don't have the responsibility of wrapping the customers' Christmas gifts anymore. It would definitely require a lot of time and a lot more counter space than my workplace offers!

Christmas Shoppers of All Sorts

My community, preparing for Christmas

I've seen a lot of shoppers during the past several weeks, and they've been both naughty and nice.

One of the naughty ones was in our store today -- a fellow in his upper 60s. He explained to me that our price on a certain item was ridiculous. The more he talked, the more irritated he became, and he began to spit a little as he spoke. To avoid agitating him more, I just said, "Yes, yes, that's right, that's right." Finally he ran out of steam and wandered away.

Of course, it's not naughty to have opinions about prices. However, ranting about them to an employee who has no decision-making authority is self-indulgent, to say the least.

Other naughty shoppers, in my opinion as a retail store employee:

• parents who let their kids run wild
• people who deliberately make a mess as they pass through
• people who buy huge piles of merchandise and then return it all the next day

Fairly often, a shopper seems stressed. I can tell that they want their transaction with me to be brief. They are civil, but barely so. I try to hurry so they can get on with their lives. I don't know if I'm the cause of their mental anguish or if they have other problems.

On the other end of the spectrum, some shoppers want to talk. One lady today told me all about her cat bothering the Christmas tree. She shakes a plastic bag at him to scare him away from it. She laughed, just thinking about it.

A man who was waiting for his wife told me about his hip and leg problems. They had spent the night at their daughter's house and the waterbed had thrown him out of kilter. He truly did look like he was in pain.

Another fellow, waiting for his wife, told me about the mobile home his son is remodeling. The son is getting married soon. He's already bought a new side-by-side refrigerator and range, and he had to remove some of the cabinets to fit the new appliances into his kitchen.

Sometimes, there are unexpected glimpses of sweetness. A white-haired petite lady confided in me that she's looking for a extra-soft blanket that she can lay over her husband when he goes to sleep in his chair.

Earlier this week, I waited on a grandma who was doing all her Christmas shopping that day. Her granddaughter, a young lady in her early 20s, was with her. They had come from another town, and the granddaughter was doing the driving and carrying the packages. They both seemed to be enjoying their day.

Today, a dad and his grown-up daughter were in the store together, shopping for the mom. The daughter was there to provide suggestions and expertise, I guess. Dad had trouble with his PIN number and his card was rejected. He had to get it back out of his wallet and swipe it again, but he remembered his PIN that time, and the daughter joked him out of feeling cranky.

One man this week, a man younger than me, told me that his wife has terminal cancer and probably won't be here for Christmas. I promised I'd pray for her, and I am. May God have mercy. May God give comfort.

God bless us, every one.

Good reading: The Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

My Pansies on December 2

My potted pansies are still blooming and looking pretty this gray, rainy December morning. This is why I like pansies much better than mums as fall flowers. They last and last, until a hard, hard freeze finally gets them.