Tuesday, May 20, 2008

it always comes back to me

yesterday it was a typical crowded monday at the grocery store. at one point, while i was examining the bright, cheerful kitchen towels in the "spotvarer" section, i squeezed close to the shelf to let an older woman by. she said, in english, "thank you." for a good five minutes, i thought, "how did she know i was english-speaking? do i have an especially english-speaking look about me today? what is it that made her know i was english-speaking? am i dressed differently? is it my hair? or my seven for all mankind jeans?"

then i got to the cash register and she was at one of the other registers and i heard her say, "thank you" again. then and only then, it hit me. SHE was english-speaking!

maybe life isn't always about me.

4 comments:

Jaime said...

HA!! Too funny!

Reminds me of the Anias Nin quote, "we don't see things as they are, we see them as we are".

julochka said...

seriously, i don't know why i didn' get it immediately. must still have my brain in neutral after the travel... :-) but one's perspective is all about where one is sitting, isn't it?

Phyllis Hunt McGowan said...

Well I'm glad you didn't get it right away because it makes a great blog post ;)
Because our primary instinct is to think of ourselves first, I think it's only natural that you saw it from your point of view and not hers.

julochka said...

as my sister pointed out..i should have realized it right away when someone was actually polite. don't really know where my brain was! :-)