While Minding My Own Self Business - Chivalry Caught My Eye

I was "Minding My Own Self Business", aka grocery shopping. You know  the drill, you go up and down the aisles, getting your normal supplies, living in your own head, intently focused on just getting it done! Well, while "minding my own self business", this shopping trip turned into one of those shopping excursions, where you "meet up", more than once or twice, in the same aisle, at the same time, with the same shopper(s).

Yes, we've all had those "aisle parties" with fellow shoppers. I like to call them "aisle buddies", when they are pleasant or "aisle blockers" when they are always right in front of whatever it is that you need or they just don't get the "concept" of putting their cart over to the side, so other shoppers can pass, instead of leaving it smack dab in the middle of the aisle at just the right angle where they block the whole aisle making you wish that your cart was equipped with a high powered laser beam automatically programed to zap their cart to "infinity and beyond"!....... But I digress.......

My aisle buddies for this trip, were a lovely elderly couple doing their shopping.  I encountered them on several aisles and each time I came in contact with them, I was "struck" by the depth of the chivalry and kindness that the gentleman was displaying, toward his wife.  Let me count the ways..... (1) He pushed their cart, all while asking her, in the kindest voice,  what was the next item on their list, (2) He held her hand only letting it go to retrieve something off a shelf.  (3) He wouldn't even let her get a 5-pound bag of sugar off the shelf, saying "No love, that is too heavy for you, let me get it.  (4) When I encountered them in the meat section, they were holding each other by their waists, as they examined the pork chops, and I heard him say.... "Love, you know your pork chops are the best, would you make me some, tonight? " She said "Of course I will, love", as she squeezed him tighter.

I found myself thinking that watching them was such a pleasure... a pleasure that we don't see that often, in this new 21st century.  And just when I thought it couldn't get any better, as they checked out, of course we ended up in the same check-out lane, he put all of the groceries on the cashier belt, he paid for their groceries, he said to the box person...."this is my wife, isn't she the prettiest thing you've ever seen" and then, he extended his arm to his "love" and they walked out of the store, together.

The cashier and I stood there looking at them, for a moment and we both, in our own way said, Wow, you don't really see men being that nice and chivalrous, anymore.... Yes, I know, we jinxed!  Again, I digress. 

What have we, as a people, come to when we are in awe of seeing a gentleman be a gentleman?  The cashier and I  talked about how such lovely behaviour seems to be going by the way side, and how we so often observe younger men not even being nice to the ladies they accompany.

As I drove home, I was still thinking about our conversation, when I saw a younger couple, probably in their late twenties to early thirties, crossing the street. You might ask, why is that so unusual? Well, what caught my eye was that the young lady was walking, oddly.  As I focused on them, I saw that she was crossing the street barefoot.  In my mind, I started to ask myself,  why is she walking on that nasty ground in her bare feet and where are her shoes?  Then I it happened, again.... "Chivalry" caught my eye!  The young man had her purse on his shoulder, was carrying her shoes in one hand and was holding her hand, with his other hand, guiding her across the crosswalk.  I then thought, "Oh, how thoughtful, you don't see young men being that kind, everyday".

As the light turned green for me to cross the intersection, "Chivalry" again caught my eye, only this time "Chivalry" winked at me....when the young couple stepped onto the curb, the young man dropped her hand, gently moving her to the inside of the sidewalk, so that he would be on the side of the sidewalk closest to the traffic, shifted her purse to his other shoulder, put her shoes in other hand, put his free hand around her waist, pulled her into him and smiled at her as they proceeded down the street.  Now of course, his actions took less than 30 seconds, but he was a man, being a gentleman making sure that his lady was protected from harm, and he was of a younger age group. The age group that seems to have forgotten how to be chivalrous.

Funny how as I was "minding my own self business", Chivalry caught my eye, winked at me, and said, 
"Don't count me out, I'm very much alive and well. In fact, lookout world, here I come!"