Friday night, we listened to Island of Black and White at Borders, ate at In and Out and on our way home I turned quickly into the Costco parking lot. We decided to stop for essentials, dog food, dried apricots and coffee. I was walking down the main aisle heading to the back of the store and realized I needed photo albums and I remembered they had moved their location and had overheard a clerk say they were in the back near the bakery. Once near the corner I searched everywhere and could not find them. There was a man dolled out in Costco garb: walkie - talkie, vest, grippey shoes, clip board, lanyard with a Costco tag and jeans so I said, " HI, excuse me I see you are counting beef steaks, but do you have a minute?" He replied, " Oh, hi, hello, yes! :) How can I help you." I told him I was looking for the photo albums and wondered if he knew where there were and I suggested he just point because by the look of him he was important and busy. He left his post near the meat and began walking with me in search of the photo albums. We walked up and down each aisle and could not find them. He told me to wait there at the end of the aisle and he would be back. Soon he did return and said, "The person I asked did not know either, so let's find them." I said, "OH NO, No worries, I will look on my own, thank you, really it's not a big deal." He said, " Well more eyes are better, we will find them TOGETHER" He stayed with me and we found them. He Cheered! We almost hugged and I went on my way. I was pushing the large cart toward the check out area and he came up next to me and said, "Have fun inserting 600 photos into those albums, he smiled." And when I looked at him again I flashed to:
A time about 2 years ago, when my cousin was here visiting from San Diego. We were driving the Gillapi and stopped into Costco to get Thanksgiving, Homemade, Pumpkin Pies and Land O Lakes whip cream. On our journey we found the middle, clothing section and lolly gagged about trying on clothes and laughing at each other. My Cuz decided to buy a fleece and so in the cart it went along with the other items. We went through the check stand and to the bathrooms immediately as we could wait no longer. It was here Cuz pulled the tags from the fleece and put it on because she was cold and she looked smashing. We headed to the check out, pushing the cart and laughing all the way about nothing and were first cleared by the young man at the door. We took two steps and another man bolted in front of us and asked to see our receipt and demand we halt. Wow, his demeanor was definitely not kind and loving and his attitude was very harsh and odd. He looked at the receipt and pulled out his walkey - talkey, ALL CLEAR!! I said all clear what? He said, " You, can't go in a bathroom and pull tags off a coat and wear it out of the store." Cuz said, " I bought it and, thank you very much, I will do what I want with it, it's mine!!" Well, he looked at us in an odd way, very unhappy and Cuz not so content as we were just accused of STEALING, that we just looked at each other and went numb.... Wow, It all happened so fast, that it was not until we got home that we really calculated what had happened.
Landing back into the present and thankful he choose to see me in a different light on this day and escort me around Costco for last 15 minutes to find photo albums, I said, "Thank you, I will!"
On the drive home I realized that I have a choice of my perception regarding people and their choices too. I can react or not.
