Tuesday, December 20, 2005

On our best behavior

I did what I always intended to avoid today: I took a 3-year-old and a 3-month-old to the Post Office and the grocery store the week of Christmas. In a perfect world, mommies would get to run these simple errands alone during busy times, especially since infant carriers and large boxes are rather heavy. If you're a mother of little ones, you know how what should be a quick errand can turn into quite the task if things don't go exactly right. Lines get long, parking lots get busy, tummies get hungry, moods get cranky.

But I was pleasantly surprised today. I determined ahead of time that I wasn't going to let this string of errands stress me out, and it seemed to help. We made three stops, which is a small feat when you're talking about packages, envelopes, a diaper bag, an over-stuffed purse, and 2 carseats to tend to.

But I found that it seemed as though many other people had told themselves not to get stressed, as well. Although lines were incredibly long, I saw tremendous displays of patience and extra measures of kindness. Several people went out of their way to help me. When I joked with the man in charge at the Post Office, he was eager to strike up a conversation. He even tried to get me through the line faster, and offered me a slice of pizza!

In HEB, when I almost pumelled a lady with my cart, and then proceeded to ram right into a display of mixers (I'm too short to see over the infant seat in front of me), a stranger was quick to offer to stack the mixers back up for me. The traffic jam of grocery carts was driven by people with smiles on their faces, and lots of extra small talk abounded.

All in all, I was proud of my fellow San Antonians. We need to all be mindful to be on our best behavior when we're out and about, but especially during this time of celebrating Christ's birth. You never know what struggles are on the hearts of those you encounter during your daily tasks.

3 comments:

Krista said...

That is awesome. I'm so glad it went well for you! We went to the mall yesterday, and their was definitely a lot more people than usual, but it seemed to be fine! Good job San Antonio!

Amy Soupiset said...

I am glad that you had a good experience. It is hard when you have to do those errands and the way people react to you really affects that way you feel. I am glad to hear that mentally preparing yourself for what ever you might encouter seemed to help. Give your little ones a hug from me. Talk to you soon.

PerryC said...

Merry Christmas Greens!