Let This Be A lesson Learned

I recently was at my local grocery store and as I was checking out I noticed a little old very petite lady who had to be either in her late 80's or early 90's. At first I thought she was waiting for someone to carry the bag she held in front of her at the end of the checkout line until I got closer and realized this woman was not waiting for someone to carry her bag but she was waiting for me to place my groceries on the belt so that the cashier could scan them and SHE could bag them.

Now I have nothing against the elderly working. Many of today's retired folks either need to make some cash (god knows you cannot live on social security) or they like to stay busy. But, do you think there could be a better job at the store for her than bagging groceries? For one, this woman was not only very elderly but she moved like a very elderly person. Then there is the question of her strength. She could barely lift the groceries to place them in the bag. I really felt bad for her so I started to bag the groceries myself and it was a good thing I did because she not only had a difficult time bagging the groceries, she had a difficult time picking up the bag and placing it in the cart. So she began placing one item in each bag. So now I have several bags with one item in each.

And then there was that expression on her face when I began to bag my own things. Let's just say, I clearly jumped with both feet into her territory. The look she gave me was one, only a rabid dog needing a serious meal would give.

Now, I am a little "gun-shy" about old folks and their ability to knock me over. You see, it was only six months ago I had a 80+ year old man in Cardiac Care with two IV's and a wicked temper who did not appreciate the fact that I inserted a needle into his arm. Let's just say, the end result was a shoulder that required surgery and months of physical therapy and pain-relieving drugs.

When I was little and took walks in the park, grandpop always told me to carry a big stick to chase off any wild dogs . With my recent experience with the elderly, maybe it would be a good idea for me to carry that big stick after all.