An open letter to the lady I talked to in Aldi’s on Election Day around noon.
Dear lady,
Thanks for noticing that we were both shopping with the same golden poppy piece of paper in hand. We both smiled and laughed as you peered to see if my paper was the same exact copy. It wasn’t.
Yet we both had similar shopping lists.
Like much of the nation, I think we both felt a bit abnormally anxious about the day’s election results. Although we were all working and tending to our daily chores, I think we could feel the thick tension in the air.
You shared that you had just voted at Mount Auburn Church without much wait. I congratulated you on your good fortune and you celebrated mine when I shared a similar experience by voting early. I appreciated your sweet smile. And we shared some small talk about how it was a rather “strange day.”
Curiosity got the best of both of us when we finally compared lists — your same-colored Pantone 151 golden orange Thanksgiving basket list was from your church, SS. Francis & Clare and my Basket of Hope 2016 list was from The Creek at Shelby Street I think we both found a bit of humor and solace in the fact that we had both decided to fill our carts with food during a day we were anticipating the unknown.
Maybe you felt like I did — that since everything seemed beyond our control now that we voted — we could at least be in control of loving our neighbor.
I realize we didn’t feel the need to ask or share who we voted for or against, but I could tell you are “good people” and I’m glad I bumped into you. You got out of the store quicker than I did — I couldn’t find those darn boxes of corn muffin mix.
I did try to hurry and looked for you in the parking lot — I wanted to say thank you, and it was a pleasure to meet you.
I also wanted to ask one burning question: Did your shopping list include “one can fried onions?” Because for the life of me I must demand to know WHY? I don’t want to come across as a feeble-minded bigot, and I have absolutely nothing against fresh onions, but purchasing a can of fried onions goes against all my religious, political and philosophical convictions. So dear lady, I was wondering what you did?
I admit, against my convictions, I bought them — but I also added cupcakes to cancel out what I believe to be an insult to any Thanksgiving basket.
From your Johnson County neighbor,
Janet
