Everyone has their reasons for doing or not doing what they
do. That’s quite a vague sentence but let me explain. When I was a young driver,
oh heck, even now that I’m an old driver I refuse to flip someone off, even if
they deserve it. I, to my recollection, have never flipped anyone off. I wish I
could tell you that it was because I’m such a good Christian that I just never
have the desire to do so but alas that would not be the truth. I've had the
urge plenty of times but there is a fear that has kept me from gesturing rudely
to anyone. This fear is (insert scary music here) that I will see that car in
the parking lot of church the next Sunday. Yep, that’s what it is. Being from a
small town and being the pastor’s kid from a small church can really mess with
your psyche. Picture this. You’re driving along minding your own business and
someone pulls out in front of you. You yell, you holler, you gesture wildly,
then in your moment of victory when you are speeding past the offender you give
the ol’ finger. You feel like you’ve won that is until the following Sunday
when you’re running late for church. You speed into the parking lot only to
discover a new car parked in the lot; the very same car that pulled out in
front of you earlier in the week. Yes, I am positive that if I ever were to
flip someone off this scenario would play out in my life.
This one fear has never transferred over to other areas of
my life until recently. The other day I was out of bread and milk and Matt was
gone on a rotation which meant that if I wanted bread and milk I would have to
take all four kids to the grocery store….ALONE! (Insertion of scary music would
again be appropriate) So, I did what I had to do. I loaded everyone up and
headed for Miller’s. We entered, we shopped, we paid and left the store. There
is something about successfully taking four kids, six and under, to the grocery
store and everyone making it out alive and nothing being destroyed in the store
that makes a Mama feel like super mom! I was feeling victorious!
I walked out to my van to see another van parked next to
mine. It was an older model, forest green, Ford Windstar. Yep, I know what kind
of car it was. The woman from the car was standing outside of her car screaming
in the window at her kid. Her cart was directly in front of my car. Previously
in my life I would have judged the fact that she was screaming at her kid but
since I nearly popped a blood vessel in my forehead the day I stepped on a
Barbie hairbrush that is no longer the case. Instead I was more annoyed that
her cart was in front of my car.
But I did what any normal human being would have done and
completely ignored the screaming and the cart. I took the girls around to the
other side of the car and loaded them in and returned to the side next to the
screaming woman so that I could load Asher into his seat. I did have to wait
though because by this time her teen-aged son was done getting yelled at and had
gotten out of the car to return the cart to the store. She had her door open
and was S-L-O-W-L-Y getting into her car. Those of you who know me know that
while pregnant with boy babies I have slight rage problems. But I was doing
well….I was not screaming or yelling. I was just waiting. OK, so I was annoyed
and waiting but I was waiting. As she got into her car and sat on her chuck
covered seat (yeah, hospital chucks on car seats weird me out) she looked at me
with my son and said, “Wait until he gets older,” to which I responded with a
vague sort of nod thing. At that very moment that the nod thing was happening I
opened Asher’s car door to reveal 3 little girl heads peeking out of the car.
The yelling woman on the chuck covered seat in the green Ford Windstar let out
a giant gasp and said, “Holy…….(I’ll let you finish that).”
Methodically I finished hooking in the children, never turning
back to acknowledge chuck lady, got into my car and drove away. Now, I’m sure I
could have been meaner, but I certainly could have been nicer. I probably
should have said something friendly or something or made a joke, but I didn’t.
I pretended that there were no chucks in my immediate vicinity and I drove off
and I’m absolutely, most assuredly convinced that there will be a green Ford
Windstar with a chuck on the seat in the church parking lot next Sunday…
