Lines, and why I'm beginning to resent them...

Ok, so I noticed that the last few blogs were about me getting older and facing my mortality...but as I am getting older I am beginning to wonder, is my patience running thin too? Maybe just a little.

Take today for instance-it started out pretty normal. I got up, tried a new workout routine, (my shoulders are killing me now by the way), showered, then went and met my husband for lunch. We talked and enjoyed our meal together, we finished and he went back to work. I decided that I'd go to my favorite department store, where I have been frequenting because I can fit into their smaller sized clothing, yay! I've lost about 30 lbs., so this is my new favorite place, I don't have to shop in the PLUS department anymore and this store just validates me in a way that makes me feel good about myself!

So, I went in, found what I wanted and got in a line at the checkout counter. There was only one line and about 5 people waiting in it, me being #3, Now, when I walked in several of the employees were congregated in the middle of the store, looking like they were having an employee meeting, or shift change perhaps? Anyway, there was only one person at the register. The cashier called for help and this group of employees fanned out and two more people came up to open registers. One employee yelled,

"I can help the next person here!" while waving his hand.

So I b-lined it over there. 'Yes,' I thought...I was first now, he welcomed me and then the unthinkable happened! The other cashier who was alone for a while, waved at him and told him that the lady behind me was next! What!? She was apparantly #2 in line! But, I got here first darn it! Fine, fine, FINE!

So, he apologized and asked me to step back to ring this other lady up. I was happy to oblige, she was before me after all, So by now there were three registers open and about 2 people in each line. The lady who was #2 had a lot of stuff, and several of her items, marked "clearance", were missing price tags. 'Oh, great'...now I gotta wait some more...'Hmm...I wonder if there's a bathroom near by, I'm starting to feel like I should have gone after lunch.'

The cashier can't find the sticker so he calls over another worker to help him...'great again' I think, 'if he'd have rang me up first, I'd be done now and outta here, but NoooOOOO...'

While this is going on, some woman, who looked to be in her late 50's, dressed in tight skinny jeans, with high heels and bleached blonde hair, way too much make-up, wearing glasses as thick as coke bottles comes up behind me and says...

"Excuse me, I really am in a rush, I have to get these pants for my daughter (she holds up black spandex leggings) and she needs them now and I'm late for a funeral, so can I get one of you to ring me up, like, NOW!" She looks at me longingly as if to ask for my understanding...I had none to give.

Seriously...I thought...and then I said it outloud for everyone to hear,

"Seriously!"

I didn't mean for it to come out but it did and she answered me back,

"Yes seriously, I have got to go, I wouldn't lie about this!"

I looked at her in disbelief, I shook my head and just smirked, and said, "Whatever."

She then proceeded to tell me again how she wouldn't lie about somthing like that and her daughter had just called her to tell she needed those pants right away! I wondered who her daughter was, was she a kid in high school, cause if it had been my kid I would have told her to suffer!

I was in a hurry too, I needed to relieve myself and pretty darn quick or else the line I was in was going to swim to the cashier! I wanted to tell her this, I had a justifiable reason for being first. I think going to the bathroom take precidence over being late for a funeral, don't you?

So the gentleman that was helping the cashier with customer #2 says, "I can help someone over here..." while he is looking at the coke bottle glasses.

Of course the lady, dressed 20 years younger than she should have, (and why would she wear tight skinny jeans to a funeral anyway, that did not make any sense to me), ran straight to him...I decided I had to move to another line, Lady #2 was no where near being done, and crazy lady trumped my needing to pee.

So I finally get up to the register and the cashier says,

"So how are you doing today maam??"

Wrong thing to ask me at that moment, I say something I don't ever say..."I'm pissed that's how I'm doing!"

She apologized, and I told her it wasn't her fault, and I went into this diatribe about how it just must not have been my day for waiting in line, the nerve of some people, etc.

Then the "coke bottle eyes" has the nerve to turn to me as she's leaving and says, "Thank you maam for understanding."

'Seriously!' I thought again, but I didn't say it outloud that time. I just nodded and waved her off. I wanted to say 'Go away, get to your funeral and hope those spandex pants are the wrong size and that you have to come back and wait in line!'

I'm normally an easy going person, not much gets me upset, well besides my kids and my husband. I normally don't mind waiting in line, it's something that is a given in life. No matter where you go, you'll end up waiting in a line, at the grocery store, at meals, at school, at work, at the amusement park, etc. It's something I normally don't really get upset about. So, why today? I don't know. I keep thinking I'm turning into an old cranky lady! Does this have to do with age, I thought I was gaining patience, not losing it! Maybe my blood sugar was just low, I did feel a little clammy when she turned to thank me, or maybe I was just bothered by it. Who knows, but I'll try to be better about being patient.

The great news, the pants I didn't try on before I bought them fit perfectly, so I guess it was worth waiting in line for afterall!