Doin' that right thing

Not so long ago, when I was just out of the walker and starting to get around on a cane, I stopped at my local Giant grocery store for just a couple of items.  I tried going cane-free, figuring that the cart would help me get around, but by the time I rounded up what I needed and got to the front of the store, I was plumb tuckered out.  A young lady who was there to assist people at the self-checkout lines saw me dragging, and beckoned to me to come over.  She opened her register, got me rung up and on the way, and I appreciated it so much that I went on the Giant website and sent the honchos an email about how much I appreciated her help.  After all, she could have just looked the other way and ignored me.

Well, the other day I was in the Giant again, and she saw me up by the registers, and she thanked me, because the Giant had apparently made a little fuss over her, printed out my email and posted it, and placed a copy in her folder.  She said, "You really didn't have to go to the trouble of sending an email - all I was doing was doing my job."

In one of the rare moments of cranial celerity that come my way, I said, "Yes, but don't you know how special you are just because you do your job!?"

That being a rhetorical question, she answered with a smile and a thanks again.  But ever since, I have been thinking about how well things go when we just do what we're supposed to do.

And, as with the woman we talked about yesterday who bemoaned the crime-ridden status of her neighborhood, I thought about how well things go when we DON'T do the things we're not supposed to do!

We all want a cookie.

Chris Rock used to do a bit about a guy who bragged that he hadn't been to jail and that he took care of his kids!  In that inimitable Chris Rock voice, he followed that with, "You're not supposed to go to jail, you dumb (expletives deleted)!!!"  And about taking care of the kids: "You're SUPPOSED to take care of your kids!  What do you want, a cookie?"

I guess it is true; life is simple when we follow simple rules. Such as: don't rob banks, don't sell narcotics, don't shoot other people on the street, don't drive 87 mph on a suburban road, don't get all liquored up and drive anything anywhere, don't shoplift, don't lie.

On the other hand, if you have a job, go do it, as you're supposed to.  Be on time, be properly groomed and attired, be pleasant and cooperative.  Treat people kindly and fairly.  If you're married or in a committed relationship, don't have sex with people other than your significant other.  Keep your property decent looking, try to be a good neighbor, don't let your dog run all over the neighborhood leaving poop on other people's yards.  If you're a member of a neighborhood watch group, don't confuse yourself with Dirty Harry and go chasing people down, leading to fatal consequences.

Do what you know is right and things will be better!  I know I'm going to try.