We had one hour. One hour to go to the grocery store, buy
some necessities, return to our home to unload, and make it to Jujitsu on time.
Mission:
Quick Grocery Store Trip is not always a success, but today I had a good
feeling about the trip. I had a plan. We would go to Aldi, the smallest store
nearest our home. We only needed a few
items, and I had faith the mission would not fail.
The trip was going great. We were nearing the end and I could
see the finish line. I noticed in my
peripheral another shopper. She was
shopping alone (wouldn’t that be nice), a little older, and she was staring at
my two children. My kiddos are not those
kids that are running in the store, but they are also not always aware of
personal space. I immediately apologized, “So sorry if we are in your
way”. She approached my cart. She had an awkward smile on her face. What she said took me completely by surprise,
“You really should be buying organic whole milk for you and your family. It is
much healthier and will actually help your family loose weight.” I must have looked dumbfounded because she continued
telling me about a “milk blog” I should read. I finally remembered how to speak, and I
spouted out that I did not think our family needed to loose weight! I replied that milk was very controversial and
that many people think all milk is bad, but we still drink it. Yes, I am sure organic is best, but my grocery
budget was lower at the end of the month, hence our choice. This stranger
continued to tell me how she wished she had made better choices when her sons
were young, and I really should consider making room for it in my budget – for
the health of my young children. I
finally smiled tightly, said thank you, and walked away with my poisonous milk
loaded in my cart. I was fuming. When
planning a trip to Aldi, I don’t expect to be judged. Let’s be honest. Aldi is not a “high on the hog” establishment
and that is one reason I shop there. What
has happened to our world where a perfect stranger feels that they should judge
my milk choice? Are there not more
important issues like poverty, sex trafficking, world hunger, and who Kanye
West insulted this week? (I just wanted to see if you were paying attention.)
I realized a few days later that I was as guilty as my
grocery store friend. I was scrolling through my pictures on my phone and found
a picture I had snapped of a stranger in a mall. She had tight purple cheetah
print leggings and furry black boots that reminded me of a gorilla. I quickly
sent the image in a text to Matt. All I wrote was “Roar”. Now, I have a sense
of humor, and in truth I may still be laughing a little about those boots. But
the take away is this: I am no better than the woman at Aldi. I judge quickly, harshly and unfairly. Maybe we all need to take a deep breath, open
our minds and just love. Love like Jesus
loves. Jesus sat with the woman at the
well, he talked to the worst sinners, and he had dinner with thieves
(I bet Zacchaeus served organic milk). Today,
I am going to stop my judgments and try to love more. Because maybe, just maybe there is more to a
person than the milk they choose or the clothes they wear.
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