The Blue Line

If you are a Whole Foods shopper you may have noticed that they have changed the traffic route for checkout to three separate lines:  Blue, Yellow and Green.  The instructions that are posted say, go to the line that is shortest.  And so, just now, when I went to my neighborhood Whole Foods store, I saw that the Yellow and Green lines had six people each but the Blue Line was empty.  At first I hesitated.  In fact, I conferred with the person behind me who also hesitated.   We both said, "Hmmm.  Do you think the Blue line is broken?"  But having a new found sense of daring which has infused my self ever since I was laid off more than a year ago, I decided to take that risk and go down the Blue Line.

The Yellow and Green line people stared at me as if I was doing something wrong.  The excitement rose as I waited to see what would happen when the Green line got their cashier number and the Blue Line was next.  I have to admit I was a bit worried.  Had I made a stupid choice?

And then, validation.  The Blue box showed number 24.  And I proudly (or really, sheepishly) walked quickly to cashier 24 feeling glares and anger behind me.  I had taken the plunge and my reward was to be served ahead of 12 less daring shoppers.

Why do we all just follow the Yellow and Green lines?  Why are we afraid to take that riskier step and go down the Blue Line???

Perhaps unemployment and founding my own business has been painful but it has made me a much more daring person.  A year ago, I might have been on the Yellow and Green line with the other twelve people.  In fact, I had a history of going on the wrong grocery line to check out.  Always the slowest, always a problem.  Never the first one to the finish line.

But now I am a Blue Line person.  Isn't that amazing...

Why I am afraid to get old

My mother is 88 years old and has many ailments.  I have noticed more and more that many doctors that she visits have no patience for her.  She can't hear, she can't walk very well and she can't see that well either and I suppose that is a blessing in a way.  She is incredibly sharp and has always been an extremely intelligent woman.  And so, if she could pick up on the lack of respect, impatience and disregard of the elderly, she would be heartbroken.  She and so many others deserve much better treatment and certainly more respect.

In the not too distant future, I too will be elderly as will all of these doctors whether they like it or not.