A friend at church teaches in a small town nearby ; she reported their need for a stock of school supplies as so many children cannot afford them. I had knee replacement surgery about a month ago and I am just able to drive again and get out (I have had the capable care of my husband.) So I decided to shore up my energies, go to Walmart and fill a back-pack with school supplies for Slater Schools. I have no pride: I knew I would need the motorized shopping cart in order to accomplish the task.
I forgot that this particular week-end was "tax free school shopping" in Missouri, a wonderful break for people with more than one school child. When I got my vehicle into the school supply aisle, I felt like I was going the wrong way on a one way street. Children everywhere with parents; I was not welcome and I could go neither forward or backward. I could not reach some items on the list and thought I would ask a kid to help me, but no one would make eye contact with me; I was clearly in everyone's way. Eventually, I collected some things and made my way out of the chaos.
When I got to the check-out stand with fifty dollars worth of very basic needs, a friendly employee smiled and said, "So you have been in the school area. We hate to go over there. Every two hours one of us has to go in and straighten up. The kids take things off the shelves, examine it, decide they don't want it and throw it down, making a complete mess. I don't like to take my turn in there."
When I returned the motorized cart, three women were sitting on a bench waiting (average weight 250 pounds). I felt I needed to explain myself as I look relatively healthy, so I said I had just had knee surgery. "Oh, so did we," and they pulled up their skirts to compare scars.
Thank God for motorized carts at Walmart, and thank God for the tax-free holiday. Life is expensive for families these days. However, after my hour of shopping under hazardous conditions, I went home and took a long nap to recover.
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