Hey mister!
I was on my way back home from seeing a movie and remembered that we were out of dry dog food. My intention was to make a quick run to the local pet store and get a small bag of kibble. Because I really dislike shopping. I try to know exactly what I want before entering a store. I want to be quick—get in, get out. Well, not this time.
Paine and suffering…
I couldn’t remember what the brand was so I sent a text to my wife in the hopes that she wouldn’t be too busy at work and respond quickly. Walking slowly slowly down each aisle I was unable to quickly locate the one I wanted. Nope...not in this aisle. And so it went, aisle after aisle. Still not finding what I wanted I started my search over again. I was getting very frustrated.
As I continued walking up and down the aisles I noticed a little girl doing the same thing but holding a pad of paper and a crayon in her hands. I assumed that she must belong to the man and woman at the front of the store when I came in. The man was behind the cash register and the woman sitting on the floor in front of the cash register counter arranging the products on the shelf.
…then unexpectedly…
Meanwhile, my patience was gone. I couldn’t find what I needed. It was going to be Plan B after all. I’ll find the least expensive bag of food I could find and call it good. Just as I was reaching for cheap, grain-filled food the little blond haired, blue-eyed little girl that I’d seen walking the aisles marched right up beside me and asked “Hey mister. Can I draw your picture?”.
My brain seized up. Switching mental gears from being very frustrated to seeing this little girl asking me if she could draw my portrait had rattled me. I managed to recover and replied, “Um, sure. I’m still shopping so do you think that you could take a really good look at my face and try draw to draw me from your memory while look around?” She seemed to seriously consider my question then said “Sure!” and ran off.
The thirty second conversation with the girl completely reset me. I decided to look for a compromise and find some dog food that didn’t contain so much obvious filler just to keep the purchase cost down.
…a gift.
With my selection made I started walking to the register. The little girl intercepted me before I got to the front of the store and thrust a white sheet of paper up at me and said proudly, “I drew your picture!”
My first reaction upon seeing my portrait was to burst out laughing--but I didn’t! I tried to show her that I was giving her artwork some serious consideration. I think that she captured the essence of who I am: a playful, devil-may-care kinda guy who doesn’t take himself too seriously.
Feeling genuinely happy and impressed with her work I said “That looks just like me. Great job!” She seemed very happy with my response and ran off, maybe to find her next art project.
