The Dollar Tree Boogie
Geneva and I had a girl's night Monday, which is a regular thing for us since Daddy has been going to school. It consisted of going grocery shopping at Wal-Mart, then swinging by the Dollar Tree for a few economical items, then heading for home to catch "Yo Gabba Gabba." Not the most exciting of nights, but it did turn out to be more important than I could have ever imagined.
As I was getting Geneva out of the car seat a near traffic accident took place next to us. There was the usual horn honking and yelling, but the storm of swear words from both parties took me by surprise. I can remember a time in the South where you did not hear people swear--not as a general rule in public anyway. Now my mother can cuss with the best of them, so it isn't like I never heard anyone cuss, it was just not polite manners to do it in public and especially not in front of children. But this night I heard the "f" bomb dropped like we were at a Chris Rock concert! To make matters worse, the lady involved (and responsible for the near accident) parked her car and continued to be foul mouthed all the way into the store. And as luck would have it, she was behind us the entire time.
Geneva is tiny to be sure, but the kid listens. She can follow directions and even though I can't understand what she is saying, she gets almost every word of what Daddy and I say. So my stomach was in a bit of a knot over listening to this woman's rant, and general disregard for anyone around her. I found myself loudly talking to Geneva hoping my voice could shut out whatever this woman was saying, and as we shopped around the store it seemed like no matter what aisle we entered, there was Polly Potty Mouth being sully and trite. So I'm standing in the snack aisle carrying my daughter on my hip and wanting so badly to just tell the lady to get over herself. In my head I had already planned out how I was going to give this woman a verbal lashing for displaying such behavior in front of my child, and I was going to do it without a single swear word. I was going to shame her for being so sour and hateful, and I would do it with the mastery of the greatest orators of all time. I would not only have her shamed, I would make her apologize to every single person involved and she would forever think twice before doing such a thing ever again. Oh yes, I wanted to let her have it!
My nostrils flared as I looked at Geneva and said very audibly "Well, what should we do?" And my daughter, being the wise old soul that she is, began to dance to the snappy little ditty from the 50's (and the title escapes me) playing overhead. The little monkey smiled and bobbed up and down, side to side with the music and looked at me as though to say "join me."
For those of you who really know me, I can be a bit uptight. I don't do anything in this life that may draw attention to myself. But I had the choice over letting this woman steal my joy with her bad behavior, or forgetting the whole thing and cut a rug with my baby girl. So I did. Geneva and I danced in the snack aisle of our local Dollar Tree, then danced all the way to the check out line. She laughed and danced, so I laughed and danced. She knew that life was more than just foul language and attitude, and showed me that I need not trouble myself with worrying what other people were doing or saying. Connie Cuss showed the world what anger and a self-centered attitude could do, and my Geneva Rose showed the world that a big smile and happy feet can change everything in an instant.... Okay, maybe not the world, but a handful of shoppers at the Dollar Tree in Paducah left that store a little happier!
As I was getting Geneva out of the car seat a near traffic accident took place next to us. There was the usual horn honking and yelling, but the storm of swear words from both parties took me by surprise. I can remember a time in the South where you did not hear people swear--not as a general rule in public anyway. Now my mother can cuss with the best of them, so it isn't like I never heard anyone cuss, it was just not polite manners to do it in public and especially not in front of children. But this night I heard the "f" bomb dropped like we were at a Chris Rock concert! To make matters worse, the lady involved (and responsible for the near accident) parked her car and continued to be foul mouthed all the way into the store. And as luck would have it, she was behind us the entire time.
Geneva is tiny to be sure, but the kid listens. She can follow directions and even though I can't understand what she is saying, she gets almost every word of what Daddy and I say. So my stomach was in a bit of a knot over listening to this woman's rant, and general disregard for anyone around her. I found myself loudly talking to Geneva hoping my voice could shut out whatever this woman was saying, and as we shopped around the store it seemed like no matter what aisle we entered, there was Polly Potty Mouth being sully and trite. So I'm standing in the snack aisle carrying my daughter on my hip and wanting so badly to just tell the lady to get over herself. In my head I had already planned out how I was going to give this woman a verbal lashing for displaying such behavior in front of my child, and I was going to do it without a single swear word. I was going to shame her for being so sour and hateful, and I would do it with the mastery of the greatest orators of all time. I would not only have her shamed, I would make her apologize to every single person involved and she would forever think twice before doing such a thing ever again. Oh yes, I wanted to let her have it!
My nostrils flared as I looked at Geneva and said very audibly "Well, what should we do?" And my daughter, being the wise old soul that she is, began to dance to the snappy little ditty from the 50's (and the title escapes me) playing overhead. The little monkey smiled and bobbed up and down, side to side with the music and looked at me as though to say "join me."
For those of you who really know me, I can be a bit uptight. I don't do anything in this life that may draw attention to myself. But I had the choice over letting this woman steal my joy with her bad behavior, or forgetting the whole thing and cut a rug with my baby girl. So I did. Geneva and I danced in the snack aisle of our local Dollar Tree, then danced all the way to the check out line. She laughed and danced, so I laughed and danced. She knew that life was more than just foul language and attitude, and showed me that I need not trouble myself with worrying what other people were doing or saying. Connie Cuss showed the world what anger and a self-centered attitude could do, and my Geneva Rose showed the world that a big smile and happy feet can change everything in an instant.... Okay, maybe not the world, but a handful of shoppers at the Dollar Tree in Paducah left that store a little happier!
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