My daughter and I just got back from doing some last minute christmas shopping.
Oh, please God, don't make me have to do that again for at least another year!! The place was packed... just a sea of people ebbing and flowing between the shops. It was a nightmare, but it kind of works if only everyone's patient... problem is, not everyone is!
Anyway, to get back to my story... We'd been there for a couple of hours and had finished doing the christmas shopping, but I also had to pick up a few groceries. So my daughter (she's 10 and kind of small) and I waded into the sea of people again.
Now, we had a trolley full of various presents and such, and were following the flow of the crowd slowly but surely towards the supermarket. We were about halfway there when this other stupid woman came towards us, pushing her trolley impatiently against the flow. She had what I can only describe as a mask of complete fury on her face as she strode along, parting the crowd before her. Her trolley almost crashed into the side of mine as she barrelled past... and I stopped to pull my daughter out of the way. She would have hit her if I hadn't.
Well, that really pissed me off. But that wasn't the worst. Then I heard the voice of an old lady next to me saying 'It would all work fine if only people wouldn't stop where they're not supposed to." When I looked around at her, she was giving my daughter and I the death stare. Now, I was really pissed off. I was probably about 2 seconds off telling that stupid old duck off... then chasing down that other stupid woman and beating her senseless with her fucking trolley... ... and I looked down at my little girl.
Not much of an example to set, would it be? Instead I apologised and wished the old lady and her husband a merry christmas (For the record... I still wanted to smack the old bat in the mouth... but I didn't).
A few minutes later in the supermarket, my daughter put her arm around my waist. 'Christmas brings out the worst in people, hey? Everyone gets a little bit impatient.' That was all she said, but her little voice spoke volumes. She might be little, but she's wise, that kid. It makes me proud that I've raised someone who posesses such patience and understanding at such a young age.
Kind of makes all that frustration from earlier a little bit easier to take.
Merry Christmas, Peace on Earth, and all that shit...