To The Lady At The Grocery Store

Dear lady who just gave me a dirty look at the grocery store,

 I just wanted to write this letter to let you know that YOU are the reason that many people won't drop what they're doing to help people out now a days. 

Once upon a time it was in the good nature of people to help others.  But because of people like you, lots of people tend to hesitate.  This morning when I was at the store with my young son, I walked out the door to see a couple of grocery carts speeding towards a car.  I quickly let go of my son's hand and made him stand by himself on the sidewalk to the parking lot as I ran out to save that person's car from certain damage.  I thought I was doing a good deed.

 As I walked the carts back up to the sidewalk, you were standing next to a bunch of other carts smoking a cigarette.  You yelled to me that the place where I was about to put the carts wasn't where they went.  "Those come over here" you yelled at me.  Really?  So because I decided to help out, suddenly I'm on the payroll?  Sorry that I don't have time to put them in the right place, but my son is still standing by himself in the middle of a huge parking lot.  He is my priority, not the carts from YOUR workplace.

 I put the carts on the sidewalk away from cars in a place that was about as close as I could get and I walked back to take my son's hand.  That was when you decided that it was a good idea to come over and huff and puff as you gave me a dirty look and took the carts from where I left them.  Whatever...

 I didn't have to touch those carts at all.  I easily could have watched them slam into a car in your parking lot.  It would have been easy to blame it on the wind.  But that's not the right thing to do.  I should hope that someday if someone sees carts headed for my car, they'd do the right thing and stop them too.

 All I'm saying is that maybe a little gratitude will get you farther next time.  Thanks for teaching my son that if he decides to help someone out, what he'll get instead of a thank you is a dirty look.  You're not going to make me stop helping people because I know that it's the right thing to do.  I'll still continue to teach my son to help out when he can.  I just hope that he doesn't end up running into people like you.

 Oh, and have a nice day!

 Sincerely,

Brett

Photo courtesy of Flickr user doortoriver