So I’m yesterday morning waiting in line, picked up some groceries, when behind me approaches the guy who had just checked out before I got there – suede coat, wavy dirty blond hair to his shoulders, probably late 20s or early 30s – so now we’re both waiting in line. The cashier, TK, after he left turned to the woman at the lottery side of the counter to assist her next when he starts doing that huff and puff, switch legs, huff and puff, switch legs like he’s’ gotta pee pee. You know, that dramatic display that makes certain EVERYONE in hearing distance is fully made aware at his mounting displeasure at the insult to his precious time, creating this aura of unease at the drama he invokes with his display.

I ommmmm’d internally, mindfully ignoring him…..as I gazed out the window at the gray day.

Lottery lady course had umpteen number of tickets to go thru, and so huffy puffy behind me went into another round, changing legs and stance to look the other way, crossed his arm, uncrossed the arms, changed stance, couple more huffy puffy’s, you know the dance of displeasure. Out the corner of my eye saw him roll his eyes and he mumbled something about slowness and time wasted there at the centre of the universe, as the lady at the counter with all the lottery tickets glared at him, and I continued mindfully pretending he didn’t exist, glancing over just briefly to see Tk’s reaction to huffy puffy – nada, just a grin on her face, sayin’ busy day, busy day.

I know lots of people like the dude, even been that dude, but lately, I don’t know, I just have learned that shit happens at its own pace and sometimes the best remedy is to just wait your turn, cause the universe doesn’t give a flying fart in the windstorm about your little world and your little petty grievances, on how slow people are, or how stupid they are to buy so many lottery tickets, and on and on. Wasted so many minutes on that vibe, time I won’t get back.

Now, personally, I think lottery tickets are wasteful, and maybe once or twice in my life bought one, but to be honest, much as I’d love to win some mullah, I can find all sorts of other ways to waste money, seriously, really good at it and in far more creative ways that would make me plenty happier then annoying everyone in line behind me.

So the lottery lady finished her stint and the cashier gave her the $5 she’d gained, for what sort of ROI I know not, and so I was next and as such TK, started to ring in my stuff. I piped up, mentioned the guy behind me had something he wanted, and so she turned to him.

Rude little passive aggressive fart bubble STILL continued, mumbling about having to go over himself to get the bill signed or something as she overcharged him 30 cents, like seriously, 30 cents. I’m like, wow, karma’s a b e i tch babycakes, good luck with that.

Anger management, anyone? Anyone?

It occurred to me that he’s going to carry that shitty mood with him all the rest of the day, and that’s on him, no one else.

See, I’ve learned over the years that, while just being a self-centred piece of crap, it also at a personal level sets a negative impression, a repetitive impact on the psyche by allowing those 5 MINUTES and 30 cents to take control of us. Like the devil in disguise impatience often is, we own our response, we allow our reactions to things out of our control to steal minutes, hours, even whole days from us, as we wallow within our own suffering at the cruel world that doesn’t revolve around our every need and desire.

In the final accounting probably the lottery lady gained more than any of us, to my mind she got her $5 and a new story to tell her friends, of the huffy and puffy self-involved shithead whose day she ruined. I’d say she came out well, eh?