OMG…Am I the Grinch?

 A week ago, I was rushing around with some last-minute Hanukkah shopping. I had stopped by Banana Republic and was the second in line to make a purchase when the system went down. The manager announced that the whole center is out of commission due to the volume of transactions but that it should be up again in a few minutes, based on a similar occurrence earlier in the day.    

A tall, husky man in line ahead of me started talking loudly, expressing his joy about the holiday season and how these glitches make the shopping experience more fun. I thought he had to be joking, but he didn’t appear to be trying to make people laugh. Then I thought he drank too much at lunch – maybe he did, maybe he didn’t, or maybe this was just him. He seemed genuinely jolly, like slap a beard on him and he could be Santa.  

He then turned to me with a big smile and asked, “How are you doing with all of your holiday shopping?” I said that I was doing well until this delay, and I don’t have the time to leave and come back. When I heard myself say this to Santa, I felt ashamed. This gentleman doesn’t know that I’m actually a pleasant person most of the time (or am I?) He replied, “My Dear, this is life. Anything can happen at any time!” I felt like Santa was trying to teach me a lesson, like lighten up and get into the holiday spirit for goodness’ sake.    

When I got home, I reprimanded myself: when someone is friendly, be friendly back! Don’t  be a negative presence just because I’m agitated at the time.    

The next morning, I had to stop at a local market for a large lunch order. I was waiting and waiting and waiting some more while the people working there talked amongst themselves without any regard for those of us who were standing in line. I noticed one of the women looking at me and when we locked eyes, she asked, “How’s your day going?” The positive side of me would have said something like “life is good…how is your day going?” but no, I said instead, “It’s impossible to shop at this place. They are so disorganized and slow.” She said, “but they are better than they used to be,” which made me think she’s either the mom or wife of one of the men behind the counter, because who else would say that?  But that wasn’t the point.

What was important was that she probably saw I was frustrated, and she wanted to brighten my mood. How kind! I could’ve redeemed myself from the day before at Banana Republic, but I didn’t; however, I did recognize this repeated pattern in my overall mindset, and I didn’t like it.  

As for my New Year’s resolutions going into 2026, I’m going to try not to be a curmudgeon, especially during the winter season when it can seep out…but no promises!