For
those of you who do not share my deep love for words, a trolley is not only the
cable cars one rides in San Francisco. I
am talking about shopping carts or buggies.
These symbolize one of the most basic things about carrying Christmas in
my hearts.
I have
come to believe that trolleys are one of the most inconvenient conveniences of
the shopping experience. Simply acquiring
one during the madness of pre-Christmas shopping can be and adventure. Then we add to it that wish it to be
dry. We also desire one that has four
working wheels, no pull to the right or left, and a minimum of rattle.
Then
there is the human factor. No one manages
these mixed-bag buggies well. I have encountered
a human twice at my local grocer that parks her trolley across the aisle when
stopping to ponder items on the shelf.
We have all seen the person who thinks that shopping is a formula one
race. The two persons who are having a
life-long discussion about some vital topic take no notice that they are blocking
trolley traffic in both directions. If
people drove the way they manage their trolleys, driving would be the most
dangerous activity we undertake.
All of
this presents great opportunity. If everyone
else is managing trolley navigation like a toddler, we can be the ones who
offer gifts of patience and deference.
Let others go first. Bring a
trolley in from the parking lot on your way to the store. Wait without complaining when someone does not
notice you need to get through.
Be
aware of the trolley needs of others. I have
often seen a parent loading the car with a toddler in tow. Offer to take the trolley for them so that
they do not have to struggle with how to unload purchases, manage the toddler,
and return the cart. It is worth the
time and effort to wait a moment from a comfortable distance and then offer to
take the trolley.
When
you do not need to take the trolley to your car, watch for people coming into
the store. If you see them break for the
trolley stall, offer them yours. I do
this by saying, “if you need a trolley, this one is all warmed up, clean, dry,
and does not rattle.” The smiles I get are
worth the effort. Once an older lady
made a face at me and said, “No, that one has boy germs on it.” It took me aback until I realized she was
joking. We enjoyed a pleasant, non-aisle-blocking
conversation about the season, civility, and the general problem of finding
trolleys in that particular store.
I
have yet to go out of my way in the trolley world in an effort to be kind when
it was not worth it. Further, it is a
simple reminder all year long that the necessity of shopping can be a chance to
carry Christmas in our hearts all year round.
It turns the traffic of the season in our stores into opportunities to
remember that those other humans need our kindness, love, and grace. It is the chance to show a glimpse of Christ
in the toy aisle Dear Reader or the Spirit of Christmas in the rain.
Wishing
you joy in the journey,
Aramis
Thorn
Mat
13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally
hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
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