We are witness to thousands of moments in our lifetime and very few of them catch us off guard. It is very rare to be present during a miracle; most people will never see or be a part of one. Slightly more common than a miracle is the genuine surprise. With social media, smartphones and tablets with cameras and video, as a society we are in sensory overload and nothing seems to shock or surprise us anymore. Genuine surprise happens mostly by misdirection. We see it as a perfectly timed joke by a stand-up comedian, a cleverly written line in a movie or play script or a frustrating moment in line at the grocery.
I turned my cart into the checkout line. I was the fourth cart in line and already impatient from maneuvering through the throngs of Friday night shoppers getting ready for the weekend. A husband and wife in front of me engage in some idle chit chat as she waits for him to turn his back so she can add that last minute bag of double dipped chocolate covered peanuts to the conveyor. The 40-something housewife was loading the last of her groceries to be checked out, digging in her purse for what apparently was a wallet but could have been a purse in its own right.
At the front of the line was an older couple, most likely in their late 70’s or early 80’s. He was pulling the loaded plastic bags off the carousel and handing them to his wife to fill the shopping cart for the trip back to the car. They were speaking to each other but they were far enough away that it was impossible to make out what they were saying over the din of the Muzak and the volume of people in the store. He wore a black baseball cap and spoke loudly but in a low baritone. When he turned back to address the checker, I could see the large hearing aid that revealed the reason for his loud voice. On the front of his hat, he had several pins surrounding the black patch with yellow embroidering that announced that he was a veteran of the Korean War.
I felt ashamed and admonished myself for being impatient and mumbling under my breath. This was a couple still together after decades of marriage, possibly through his tour(s) of Korea, and survived through the ever-changing times of society, technology, music and fashion. They were retired and making their way through a time when society has pushed them aside because they were no longer young and vital. He began to pull his wallet from his left back pocket; and then it happened. A moment of clarity and brilliance and I saw it; moreover, I heard it.
A 15 second slice out of the day that caught in my throat and rolled down my cheek. The 40-something mother moved around her cart and stood next to the older gentleman and put her arm on his shoulder, looked at the checker and told them she would pay for the older couple’s groceries. There was no fanfare, no hype, no congratulations. The gentleman denied the housewife at first but she insisted and he relented. The couple, obviously touched by the gesture, humbly thanked the housewife, to which she replied, “No sir, thank you.”
Awash in my own world of impatience and frustration, I witnessed as this housewife turned the moment 180 degrees and created a genuine moment of surprise. I watched them interact briefly and I was completely rapt in the event. As the woman reached back to her cart for her purse, we caught each other’s gaze, and she appeared shocked and slightly embarrassed. I realized after the older couple left that my cheeks were wet from tears and I took the breath I had been holding, a moment not lost on the housewife; and nobody noticed. The service desk continued taking returns and selling lottery tickets, the floor managers were helping new employees and their checkout lines and the shoppers continued to shop; life continued without so much as a ripple. But I was there. I got to see a moment of true humanity, generosity and kindness. I can only hope to aspire to that 15 seconds, but the moment will remain with me always.
