Over the last several years, I’ve become a big fan of Sam’s Club. Now listen all you Costco fans. I’d be a fan, too, if I had one near me. I do not. I shop at Sam’s until further notice.
I love the pick-up. I order the things; Noah and I drive to Sam’s Club; someone brings the things to my car. There’s not much I liked about the pandemic, and it was a terrible thing for Noah and other people with special needs, but being able to order things and have them brought out to my car? Super thankful for that part.
Noah likes that part, too. Well, he likes driving there, and he likes driving home. He likes all the driving. He doesn’t care for the stopping and waiting.
But do any of us like waiting? I have never liked it. Sometimes I read a book, or play a game on my phone. These days I like to watch what other people are doing. Old people sit around with bad posture looking superior that they are not staring at their phones. Everyone else sits around staring at their phones with bad posture. These are pretty much the only two groups that now exist, but I digress.
While I’m not exactly a night owl these days, I’m not what you’d call a “morning person,” either. I get up early during the week because I love my children, and I want to see them before they go to school. I make breakfast, and sometimes I even make the lunches. I’m going to remind them of this when I am old and they are having to change my depends.
I recently read a story about a homeless man that was the most cheerful man anyone around him could imagine. He had nothing other than a serious drug problem. And when people would ask him why he was so cheerful, he replied, “I woke up today!” I think we could learn something from people who have nothing.
I went to Sam’s a few weeks back, and I had not had the foresight to order ahead of time. So, Noah and I went into the store. I’m not bad at steering Noah’s chair and the shopping cart at the same time, though the cart at Sam’s can get a little heavy. I was stopped five times by other shoppers asking if they could help. Three of them wanted to help me to the car. I didn’t need help getting into the car, but my heart sure was helped by the asking. If you spend time on social media, you can begin to despair of people, but a trip to Sam’s Club can make you feel better about them.
Today was another example. I almost decided to just take Noah in to shop with me, but I knew I had a lot to do. So I set up an order yesterday, and pulled into a specialized pick-up order space. I texted my arrival and the number of the parking spot, while Noah expressed his displeasure in stopping. But we didn’t wait long.
“You are Johnny on the spot today!” I joked with the lady bringing the things.
“I don’t like to keep people waiting if I can help it,” she answered cheerfully.
“I hope you are having a good day!” I said to her as we loaded my wares into the van.
“I am blessed!” She answered with a smile, “I woke up today!”
You know who else wakes up with a smile? You guessed it. Noah. He struggles with movement, controlling his body and communicating his needs, and, yet he is always smiling and ready to laugh. He takes joy in watching the people around him, and if you say “hello” to him, he will likely give you a big smile, and if you spend some time talking with him, he will likely give you a big laugh. Just a happy little punk.
Some people would probably wonder how someone with his condition could be so happy. If he could verbalize why, I wonder if he would answer, “I woke up today!”
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