Patience Grasshopper, Patience

Tolerance is the only real test of civilization ...Arthur Helps

The Afternoon

I just came in from shopping and a visit to the post office. My packages are on their way. After being offered three choices of shipping arrangements, I was thinking, “my gosh, is there a wrong answer here?” “Doesn’t everyone want the same thing? the *fastest, cheapest, on time for Christmas* shipping?” ~ Anyway, I made my choices and chose not to worry about it now …

Strange thing at the post office...I had not realized that it has become the practical thing to do, regarding the attendance of your packages, to address and tape and shove them in the box while you are waiting in line! I must have missed this in some Woman's Magazine article about 37 ways to get *12 things done at once*, or something.

Both women in front of me where handling their paper work and packaging while they were in line! I really didn't know what to think, except that I am so old school (I really felt tagged). I was brought up in a different era. I don't like to judge what is new and progressive, but I'm not quite sure what I want to adopt as my current life style doings in all the new ways of handling things.

One woman had time and completed her task before the line came to her. The other woman, however, discovered she had the wrong box and the wrong address label. So, she quickly began to change it all so she would, heaven forbid this -- actually spend a few more minutes there!

(I did overhear three of those ladies talking and they were not happy with the season or the task of shopping; they basically said they would be glad when all of this was over. I thought, "oh, too bad, isn't that sad." Seems like one would be in a hurry for, oh, say gall bladder surgery to be over, but not so much for Christmas ....)

It turned into a bit of a-hoopla for the wrong-package lady. The contents she had seemly placed neatly in the other box, was now being shoved like old laundry in this correct, smaller box, with it’s correct label. And two people, including myself, did pass her. The lady who passed her in line first asked, "is it okay if I pass you?"

And I said, "well, I would think it's okay...", ...on the inside :) -- but on the outside, when my turn came to pass her, I asked permission as well. I thought the other woman has now set a precedent and far be it for me to throw any rudeness in the arena.

Few things are harder to put up with than a good example.....Mark Twain)