I went shopping at K Mart today, looking for cheap thrills, when I heard a lady kind of yelling into her cell phone. She was saying things like "No, I'm not over-reacting!" All kinds of things that you might not want to say loudly in the middle of K Mart unless you wanted help. She was walking in circles, arguing with her guy, talking in circles.
I was hanging around too because I found the cutest blouse on the clearance rack that was red with this pretty embroidered collar in the most interesting shade of marigold, that went with nothing. But was very "India", so worth trying. I even put it up against an olive green skirt, because red and olive green looks good on olives.
When she hung up I went over and said "Hi. Are you okay? Is there anything I can do? You shouldn't have to argue about your own feelings. They're yours and you have every right to have them." She said thanks that's very nice and she was okay and at least she wasn't married to him and seemed happy about that. And she went on her way.
I did not get the blouse.
8 years ago
9 comments:
Qaro,
That's an amusing story. Quite often we just walk around happily ignoring the world -- after all, it's what most folk do -- and after all, you don't want to get arrested for being a "Public nuisance," but in the spirit of what you did, I've done the same kind of thing.
I remember that once I was in Japan to pick my son up and it was bitterly cold outside the hotel, and I was on my way to pick up a sandwich from a convenience store and then I saw a man, the guy who waits for the shuttle buses and assists the driver (if there are any guests, which there weren't at the time) just basically standing there alone in the freezing wind just . . . waiting . . .
So I suddenly had a weird urge and I went across the plaza to him and gave him the sandwich . . . it was weird because I knew no one was watching me, I'd never see him again, and it was a totally unexpected thing to do, but if you can believe it, he was really grateful!
I went back to the hotel hungry, but I was really happy I'd done that!
Just like you asked the woman in the store if she was okay. I'll bet she's never going to forget you!
Or like the time I was on a night plane from Montreal to France and we were taxied out to the runway and then some guy started to wail in the back section . . . I mean, we're sitting on a packed 767 and there's a guy wailing in the back seat.
I immediately got out of my seat (a no-no already) and went back to sit in the middle aisle right across from him while the stewardesses and people were bustling around the guy trying to figure out what was going on.
A stewardess came up to me and said "Sir, you need to go back to your seat, sir," and I just fastened my seatbelt and said "I'm not going anywhere until we find out what's wrong with this lunatic. I'll help you subdue him if you need help."
He was taken off the plane by burly cops, but after I'd gone back to my seat, we'd taken off and she was coming round with drinks, I ordered a double scotch on the rocks and fumbled for the cash but she pushed away my hand and said "This one's on the house."
So it's nice to do nice things sometimes!
a nice thing to do, you are good people!
You wouldn't believe how freaked out people get when being treated with unexpected kindness.
If it weren't more fun, I'd say it's a prank.
Like when I go into a convenience store in Japan out of the blue and when I have to pay the cashier, I bring out a $20 Canadian bill.
He just looks at me, like I'm freshly minted in the Mars Factory and I look at him, like "What's wrong? It's more than $20?"
And he looks at me back, like "Please don't be the lunatic I don't want, my girlfriend left me this morning, please don't be him . . ."
And I suddenly beam and bring out the Japanese yen and say, "Just kidding, dude, just kidding."
You wouldn't believe how much pleasure that gives me.
And you know why I do it?
Because I can!
Thanks for all the comments!
Nick, neat stories about Japan!
Sue, you are good peeps too!
You both are! I am so glad we are all on the same page. I seem to be on the right track.
She did seem to feel much better. I am a little like an emotional evangelist now, hehe. I realized it's okay to have them and it's okay for everyone to have them. It's okay to care about people and to be nice.
I am a little cynical though. I didn't want to mention I offered to go for coffee or give her my phone number because I didn't want to look stupid. Because what she did could've been a clever scam to lure someone into something. I don't know, I trust my instincts.
I hear you. In general, I'm pretty much an affable person while outside but also in general, when shit comes down the pipe (read: elderly woman has fall in aisle 5) I kind of first look around for the nearest exit and THEN look for a store employee.
But I find myself almost getting dangerously obsessive about these things: the other day Brigitte was at Value Village, I didn't have the patience and was waiting in the car and all of a sudden this little boy comes along, bouncing a soccer ball, maybe 8 years old, in a massive public parking lot.
I kept gauging my options: should I go ask him where his parents are? (Because, you know, older man bending down to talk to young boy in parking lot doesn't look so good, these days) or just leave him the fuck alone, just kind of keep an eye on him and wait until hi (totally negligent) parents showed up.
Well, I'm proud of myself. I watched with no interference until his lame-ass father came out of the store berating him for leaving, after about oh, only twenty minutes of inattention.
But if I'm in an ornery mood, I may just get out of the car and have a few words with Dickwad parent.
PS I'm proud of you for the Diet Cokes. You're doing good, kid, doing good.
Yeah, negligent and abusive parents are the worst as far as knowing what to do. I go with approaching them and asking them is everything alright, do you need any help? Yeah I am so nosy nowdays! : ) I figure they're not really dangerous. If they need to pick on babies it's not like they can kick my ass. No just kidding. Half the time they are angry and leave, the other half they try to explain it like I don't know what to do this baby just will not shut up. So I tell them my secret to getting a baby to be quiet which if they are comfortable, is to change everything as much as possible like inside/outside light/dark quiet/noisy laying/sitting and by this point she is not giving attention/stress to the baby anymore so the baby quiets down and wants to know what's going on... Babies are curious and they can smell fear.
PS Thank you! : )
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