The Tale of Three Women

Lately I've been very emotional, probably due to pregnancy and lots of sad news I've received as of late. Normally I can hold my head up high and brave through the punches but today in Costco a lady(#1) told me if I left the line she was going to take my place (while I grabbed one last thing I forgot). When I returned, my cart had been pushed aside and a longer line had formed to the right. I got over it and just decided I would try to squeeze my way back in. A woman (#2) in front of me asked if I was in front of her and told me she would let me go first. This small act of kindness mustered up inside me the greatest appreciation. I declined but while thinking of her generosity and different manner from lady #1 tears welled up in my eyes. I tried to hide it but then someone behind me (lady#3) told me they were in line first and that I would have to go behind them. Instead of putting up a fight I hauled my cart and fragile self to a secluded (if that even exists) area in Costco where I could bawl my eyes out. I would have been fine had the second woman not been nice to me. I'm usually well kept together on the defensive side but when I feel victimized I start to feel sorry for my fat pregnant self and wallow in self pity. Sadie saved the day by needing to be entertained and it got my mind off of wanting to run into the hole of embarrassment for totally losing it in Costco. Isn't it funny how you can be affected so greatly by how you are treated? It makes me want be a more kind to those around me because you never know what kind of a day they are having. Although the kind woman was the only one who actually made me cry so who knows?

I've broken down before in grocery stores(several times actually)but usually only when I'm pregnant. If you feel like reading a similar story, here's what I wrote to my girlfriends when I was pregnant with Sadie. Today's experience reminded me of the following:

Speaking of weeping, I've decided that I won't be visiting Walmart anymore. Every time I go there I get so frustrated that I end up leaving the super store in tears. The first time I was returning a breast pump that a lady at the hospital tour told me was a "bad brand." I had my receipt when I was leaving the apartment but when I got there it was of course missing. So after I had gone all over the store and retrieved all the things I wanted to buy in exchange for the stupid pump, I was told that they can't return breast pumps w/o a receipt because it's unsanitary. Are you kidding me? It was still in the plastic and all sealed up. So Chase and I left all our stuff we wanted to buy (including heavy duty maxi pads, a breast feeding bra, and HUGE underwear...super purchases, I know) and as I was walking out, I lost all control and cried the whole way home to find the receipt sitting by this very computer. Chase was very sweet but I'm sure he was thinking that he married a total nut.

So the second time I went to Walmart (aren't you loving these stories), we rounded up all of our embarrassing purchases again and went to customer service. Everything went rather smoothly despite the fact that the lady ringing us up had nails literally the length of my pinkie finger. She was going at a snails pace because it took her 5 minutes to type one word with those ridiculous nails. I got so frustrated that I turned all the merchandise over so she could scan them easier and even helped her put them in bags. INSANE!!! So on the way out I decided to go out of the doors nearest to me which were the "entrance" doors, not the "exit" ones. My feet hurt and I wasn't about to walk all the way around just to leave the store, so I made my way through the wrong sliding doors. Some skinny little teenager looked at me and said in THE MOST mocking tone..."ENTER." With out even flinching I screamed "Shut-Up" at her and almost ran into a man to my left trying to get people to sign a petition for who knows what. All I did was show him the hand and made my way to the car. I was ok for a minute but then as we were pulling out I started pitying myself (which is something I'm very good at these days) and said "you just shouldn't be mean to a pregnant woman, such bad form." I mean we're practically disabled. You wouldn't say to a woman in a wheel chair "ENTER" if she were going the wrong way, would you? Well I felt attacked and broke down. Again I cried the whole way home. Chase comforted me again (poor kid has a loony wife) and we both agreed that I shouldn't go to Walmart anymore. He says the only store he hates more than Micheal's is Walmart. I completely recognize after the fact that these are ridiculous reasons to cry, but I seriously can't help myself. The tears just come and I can't repress them.

We have hopefully learned three lessons from this tale.....1) be nice to everyone....it will make you happier and hopefully others as well, 2) if perhaps you've experienced a little kindness from an East Coaster (rare I know), don't be so surprised that it makes you cry, and 3) Walmart is ALWAYS off limits when you are pregnant (with an occasional warning towards Costco as well).