If interrogated vigorously enough, I’d be forced to admit that as I make my way through the supermarket checkout line, I sometimes glance at the pictures and headlines in the tabloid newspapers so generously displayed for my diversion. I don’t feel good about it, but they are colorful and eye-catching, and it’s hard to look away when I see “OPRAH” in bold print, or pictures of wan-looking celebrities supposedly dying of exotic diseases. Since I know that most of the “news” is made up, I don’t generally pay attention to the actual content.
The woman in front of me in line today was about my age (or perhaps a little younger, since I tend to think of myself as younger than I actually am). She was friendly and kind enough to let the young woman who was buying only two deli sandwiches (and therefore should probably have been in the express lane) go ahead of her. Her cart wasn’t even close to full, which is why I parked mine behind it. It wasn’t the shortest line, but it was the line with the emptiest carts. |