Stop and smell the Opportunity

Isn't it crazy how life can pass you by so fast while you're just in your own world? Sometimes things happen that make me think, hey maybe it's time to dig into the present, my surroundings, and things that I am missing.

Every few days (lets be real it's like every other day) I call my Mom on my way home from work. I wander from the train station to the door of my apartment while talking up the day's adventures with one of my true confidants. OH DAMN, I forgot to stop at the store to pick up some free 8x10 pictures. Back to the street I go. Fully realizing how distracted I was, I continue to blab about all the family's drama and enter Walgreens. It's absolutely PACKED, as you should expect when walking into a Walgreens right off the train station, right after regular working hours, and on the main avenue of the neighborhood. I stare down the eyes looking right back at me when I let out a loud laugh after my Mom's sappy joke, one cashier, at least 15 people in line, and 3 people impatiently looking at the register for help in their respective aisles... I'll wait a bit and walk around. I decide to go down the makeup aisle and see if anything sparks my interest. (By no means am I a makeup girl, but hey, these eyebrows always could use some brushups) I stop at the dark brown eyebrow brushes and glance to my left. Obviously, enthralled in the conversation with my dear Mother, I barely notice the commotion going on next to me. I go to grab and put back about 6 different eyebrow brushes and manage to pick absolutely nothing. I go back to giggling with my twin who's double my age and head to the back of the long line hopeful that it's lightened up a bit. Standing at the back of the ridiculous line and with both airpods in, I zero in on a woman obviously upset, raising her arms in frustration and lobster red in the face while simultaneously watching the guy who was next to me stroll out of the store. Huh, wonder what that's all about. Ahh, Mom has to go. So sad. I love daily rounds with her. I hang up, take out my headphones and the people in walgreens definitely were blocked out by the sound proof of my headphone because it was absolute chaos. The couple two places in front of me were shaking their heads in disgust and loudly disapproving of the cashier, while Lobster Red sounded exactly as I imagined when I had the luck of not having heard her initially.

"SO WHAT YOU'RE TELLING ME IS THAT I COULD JUST TAKE WHATEVER I WANT AND JUST WALK OUT OF HERE?!" says Lobster Red.

I hear a whisper behind me, "Isn't he some sort of drug dealer?"

Wait, but how would they know he's a drug dealer or did they just make that up....

"THIS PLACE IS F****** RIDICULOUS, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!"

Lobster Red walks out in a tizzy and the cashier keeps her head down and scans the Monster can for the blonde, curly haired teenager with oversized khakis that should be sitting a couple inches higher than where they are at. Some other comments from line goers make me deduce that this drug dealer guy is a regular, stealing all kinds of stuff from this Walgreens. But from the makeup aisle? Does he resell? Am I in the wrong profession? (probably, honestly) A few minutes pass by, and everything is back to normal. Still a long line, but no screaming, no sirens, no frantic energy. Just another day at walgreens. I get up to the front of the line and tell the cashier the name my pictures are under, and she cracks a smile, "I remember your name, I worked on these yesterday". A smile that was previously hidden underneath the sweat above her lip and she rings me up and I walk out, unaffected by the robbery.

I was in complete oblivion that there was a drug dealing, chronic thief standing next to me while I was lollygagging in the makeup aisle. Life moves at you fast, if you're not paying attention, you might miss it. And realize you could be missing out on a new job opportunity that costs nothing but a lady from walgreens getting mad at you...

Hope you enjoyed this story! I'm not actually gonna rob walgreens. It's a joke. Ha Ha, He He. Please don't come after me, I promise I was joking.

Sending all the love and aloha, Sistah Ceej \m/