Regular Life

I realized today that I've made this new venture of writing way too serious and complicated for myself. I've felt like I had to have something profound before I could write and therefore have strangled any creativity or impulse to write. My "regular life" takes over and writing gets pushed further and further down on the priority list and recently hasn't been happening at all.

Tonight my parents and I were eating supper and I told Dad that we had bought Heath Klondike bars for a special dessert. Then Mom begins to tell Dad about the unusual conversation we had in the ice cream aisle with two other customers and it hit me. This is regular life, it was funny, and would be fun to write. I hope you enjoy today's "regular life" story:

Today was a town day. Time for Mom to get her hair done, go to the bank, the post office, the hardware, etc. and then get groceries. We live seven miles outside of town so try to do it all at once. Since we were going straight home from the grocery store, Mom wanted to get some fun ice cream. Something other than plain old vanilla, because Dad was disappointed to find that was all we had at home. As we navigated down the frozen dessert section, my eyes landed on the Klondike bars. Dad had really enjoyed those in the summer so I pointed them out to Mom and asked what she thought about getting a package.

Just past my Mom was a tall gentleman in a green stocking cap with flaps over the ears who overheard my question. He immediately shot between my Mom and I and said "Do you like those? Are they good?" He proceeds to open the freezer door and take out two packages. 

"Yes, they are very good. Very rich" I said.
"Wouldn't be good for someone with diabetes, huh?" 
"Not really", I said "but my Dad likes them and he's diabetic. He does take medication for it though."
"Yea, diabetes will mess you up. Sugar too high is not good, sugar too low is not good. That diabetes can kill you" he says, as he stands there blocking the Klondike section with the door open. 

Then across the aisle, a lady pipes in "Cancer will kill you too!" 
"It sure will. There's lots of things that will kill you." We agree. Then there is more discussion about stuff that will kill you and my Mom and I realize we have lost total control of the freezer aisle and any hope of getting Klondike bars at the moment. 

The Gentleman then looks at the packages in his hand and asks which flavor I like the best. Heath. He holds two Heath packages in his hand, looks at them then at the freezer case, deliberates for a bit, while continuing to ask if they are good. He moves to the side just far enough for my Mom to reach in and grab a Heath package. He watches what she gets and then asks her if she has diabetes. 

Mom - "No, I can eat them." He then looks at me and says "Are y'all together?" Yes, we are. "Are you related?" Yes. "She your mother?" Yes. I laugh at this unexpected camaraderie in the middle of the freezer section and wonder how to kindly move on, my stomach is grumbling. Then he makes his decision, "Alright, I'm going to try the Heath ones." Great! I hope you like them, I say. And down the aisle he goes. Mom and I look at each other and smile as she chooses a 2nd package.

It was such a funny little encounter that brought a spot of laughter to the mundane errand of getting groceries on a regular-life day in town.  It still makes me smile. 

The Bible says that whatever we do we should do it as unto the Lord. 

Colossians 3:17 (ESV)

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything

in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Spending a few moments discussing ice cream flavors and what will kill you may not be very important and may take a few extra moments, but hopefully it brightened this gentleman's day as much as it did mine and that he's at home enjoying those Klondike bars.