“In the midst of all of the anxieties and panic shopping because of Covid-19, I learned a great deal about kindness.
I was out grocery shopping with the great crowds that descended like locusts on our local stores on the day our schools announced they were closing. Amazingly, there was still toilet paper! But forget about disinfectant.
I was trying to stock up on supplies because my husband and I fit many of the categories for this virus to be life-threatening. Over 65 – check. Diabetes — check. Lung issues — check. Immune-compromised — check. We are masters at social distancing because we have been living this way for six years. But once we reached the pandemic designation, I knew we would need to prepare to be home for two months because our doctor told us so.
It’s interesting to see what people buy in a crisis like this. Some people loaded up on toilet paper, others on bottles of wine. One gal eyed my cart with several bags of Pepperidge Farm cookies and said, ‘I like the way you think!’
Despite 24 check-out lanes open, there were lines 12 people deep. Oh, the irony of trying to avoid contact with each other by jamming ourselves cheek-to-jowl with our supplies. The check-out employees literally flew like the wind, scanning and packing my items while I thanked them profusely for working so hard to help all of us.
There were five cars waiting in the lot for my parking space. While rapidly loading my trunk, the woman in the car next to me said, ‘If you think this is bad, you should have seen Trader Joe’s!’ She added that instead of going to our local liquor store, she simply loaded up at this store. Watching everyone frantically buying only made her feel like she needed to get more.
When I got home and heaved a sigh of relief, I had two messages. One was from a dear friend of my daughters, both of whom live out-of-state. It read, ‘If you need anything, let me know and I will pick it up and leave it on your doorstep.’
The other message was from our next-door neighbor, Jen. It was a handwritten note in our mailbox that said, ‘Please tell me anything you need, and I will pick it up for you.’
When the going gets tough, you learn who your true friends are. These women are ‘the angels among us’ who reached out, without being asked, to reassure me that the world is still a good place to be.”
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Linda Trytek. Do you have a similar experience? We’d like to hear your important journey. Submit your own story here. Be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.
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