I was in a rush. With 20 minutes to get home before an appointment, I\u2019d stopped at the grocers to pick up milk for my coffee. In line ahead of me, an old lady was unloading a cart with a few food items, a disaster-proof supply of toilet paper, and many boxes of children\u2019s gifts.<\/p>\n
I considered going around her and leaving cash for the checkout person. I do that occasionally at coffee shops when the person ahead of me is ordering something frou-frou and I can self-serve regular brew. But that would\u2019ve flummoxed the checker. Besides I had no cash.<\/p>\n
So, I managed a smile and indulged my favorite pastime.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the grandkids,\u201d I said, nodding at the cart.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot these,\u201d she said, without looking up. \u201cThe clinic where I work always keeps gifts around and we\u2019re running low.\u201d<\/p>\n
Which one, I asked, and she named the children\u2019s hospital where you\u2019d take your child if they were scary sick because you knew that whether affluent or indigent, your child would be treated first, expertly and compassionately, and the who-pays-what stuff would be sorted out later.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you do there?\u201d I asked, thinking docent but fortunately not out loud because she paused and smiled at me as if she\u2019d diagnosed my rudeness from the start.<\/p>\n
\u201cPediatrician,\u201d she said. \u201cBeen there 40 years.\u201d<\/p>\n
The checker totaled the bill and handed her the register slip. \u201cDid I get the 10 percent discount?\u201d she asked. The checker nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, I forgot. It\u2019s senior day,\u201d I said as she pushed her cart away, and I took the discount on my milk. Virtue should be its own reward, but immediate, positive reinforcement benefits those of us who still need work.<\/p>\n
Thank you for your attention. Please use the contact box to the left to share a comment, or ask a question.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A lesson to myself in rushing to judgment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1482,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1537","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anecdotes"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n