Kindness at The Pig

A few days ago I was engaged in what many would call the unenviable activity of grocery shopping. I say unenviable because most people I know seem to detest this task. While it doesn’t rise to the top of my favorite things to do I don’t really mind it. Blessed with pretty good organizational skills I am an efficient shopper. I do 95% of our grocery shopping at The Pig because I believe in shopping locally, the store is just around the corner from my house, and because Jason & Angie are very generous to our community. My prime time for grocery shopping is 7 am. on Sunday morning. The place is nearly deserted then so I can cruise through the aisles easily. However, the day I am writing about here was last Thursday and other obligations prevented me from making it to The Pig until late morning. Very quickly I remembered why I like shopping early on Sunday mornings. The store was pretty full and was becoming more so by the minute.

I have long been an observer and student of human behavior and this day was no exception. While filling my cart I was also theorizing about my fellow shoppers – their age, were they stocking up for Thanksgiving, were they expecting family, why were they there at that time of the day, did I know them, were they enjoying themselves, were they frustrated or at peace, and stuff like that. It’s just how my mind works. I was also a bit more philosophical and realized that while I only knew a few of them, nearly all were likely my fellow Miltonites – my neighbors as it were. I greet most shoppers and make conversational comments to them. Most respond, often with surprise and seeming pleasure. Some not so much.

On this Thursday I particularly noticed a rather short lady whom I would have guessed to be somewhat older than me. I’m an aging baby boomer but I’m pretty sure she had some years on me. She seemed a bit overwhelmed by the plethora of choices and the high activity level of the store. Additionally her smaller stature made it challenging for her to even see let alone select items from the upper shelves. This concerned me considerably until I noticed that accompanying her was someone I knew. He was gently and kindly helping her make selections – reaching things for her, reading labels to her, checking prices, patiently clarifying things like did she want the finely grated cheese or the more coarsely grated, putting items in her cart but all the time maintaining a sort-of distance that provided her with a modicum of independence. He didn’t hover or cling or rush her along but, clearly, she would have been lost without him or someone. Now this gentleman helper, who is well known in Milton, may have been serving as a caregiver for a family member or a neighbor, or maybe he was just being the kindly, caring, giving person many of us know him to be. Whichever the case, BOB JOHNSON, you impressed and inspired me. Thanks for being you and for inspiring me to be better.

Have a kindly Thanksgiving!