No, the store wasn't Target (they are a part of the 21st century and have self-check out, however, I was at the store and took a picture of a store line...for visual continuity.
A 'Wrong' Moment At the 'Right' Time
Hey Y'all, Hannah here!
As an introvert (verging on hermit), one of the best inventions of the 21st century is ‘self-checkout’. I can go to a store, walk around, get what I went for (and some I didn’t), check out, and never speak to another human, it’s truly fantastic. 9/10 times I will go to self-checkout, yes, even if I have to wait a couple of minutes for it. On a regular day, I really only talk to people while I’m at work, and even that can be minimal sometimes, the rest of the time I am in my car or at home (by myself) and the fact that I can now extend that blessed non-communication in a public place is nothing short of a Christmas miracle.
The other day I was in a store that didn’t have self-checkout *gasp* (I know, what neanderthals), and I was ready to check out, so, like it was the early 2000s, I stood in line. While standing in line, the person ahead of me dropped their glass bottle of pink kombucha and I was inevitably in the splash zone. *SHATTER* I look down and there is glass surrounding me and pink kombucha all on my jeans and the [dirty] white shoes I had just ‘cleaned’. In my head I was just repeating “God bless you and your family, God bless you and your family” towards the customer who dropped the drink. The lady was clearly embarrassed and apologized for getting it on me (as if she had any control of where the liquid specifically went), I assured her it was fine and I stood, frozen, over the glass so that others wouldn’t step on it. All the while in my head thinking, ‘see? This wouldn’t have happened if you just had self-checkout in your dang store!’. The workers of that store were quick to spring into action and go get things to clean up the mess and block off the area. In a flurry of workers and people, the other lady finalized her check out and everything from my basket was transferred to another, less kombucha-y isle. I finally get up to pay and I can tell the poor gal that is the cashier is flustered and frustrated. She asked if I was okay and if I needed a towel or if there was anything she could do for me, I declined on all fronts assuring her I was fine. She went through her customary “did you find everything alright?”, I said yes and chuckled as I blew out a breath, “what a day, eh?”. She gave me a tired smile and sighed, “yeah, been one of those days”. “I’m sorry, off soon?” I asked. “Well, I have closing shift tonight and then have to go study for tests, and just about a million other things to do”, I smile at her and commiserated that I ‘know the feeling’ and cheered that ‘she could do it!’. She finally gave a genuine smile, laughed, and said ‘thanks for the encouragement, and thanks for being so relaxed about this entire situation, we’ve had other spills like this, and well, not all of our customers have similar reactions’. I immediately felt slightly ashamed for the frustration and sass that had been running through my head for most of the situation. We finished up and she had another customer coming, but as I was gathering my bags I said, “Hey, you handled it well! I hope your day is less crazy from here on out and good luck on the tests!”. We met eyes for not more than a moment, but at that moment I saw genuine thanks in her eyes and as she said ‘thank you so much, have a great day!’ something in my brain came on like a light bulb. Yes, if that store had self-checkout, I probably wouldn’t have had to go to my next event with kombucha on my jeans or shoes. Yes, if it had self-checkout I probably would’ve been out of the store faster. Yes, if the store had self-checkout I wouldn’t have had to interact with anyone and everything would’ve been far less ‘complicated’.
Here’s the deal, if it did have self-checkout, I would have never had a chance to be a positive spot in that cashier’s day, and she wouldn’t have had a chance to be that in my day. I would have missed out on a genuine, if brief, interaction and moment for sympathy and encouragement. I would have contentedly gone on my hermit way and missed out on a simple but real and needed moment for both of us. She doesn’t know it, but that cashier reminded me of the importance of going out of my way, even if just a little, to interact with others and potentially share a moment of encouragement and hope, commiseration or a smile. She reminded me that I need to get out of my own way sometimes and be more open to what God is inviting me into, even in the ‘inconvenient’ moments. I haven’t cleaned that pink kombucha off of my white shoes (mostly because I’m lazy and it dried sort of clear), but also because it serves as a reminder for me to step aside (or into a line) and see what God is up to. Now, I am still going to use self-checkout, but maybe just 6/10 times now instead (and for a hermit, that’s sacrifice, man), but that young lady reminded me of something special, the power of waiting in line.
-Hannah
