Wal-Mart shopping moment

Good Morning,

This weekend I achieved a feet in a Wal-Mart shopping aisle that I believe would be hard to top. If it's not my life's most embarrassing moment it's close...

I will try to describe in words but you may need a visual so please grab something small and handy like your cell phone and pretend that it's a cart.

I was rolling smoothly down the soda pop aisle with an empty cart. I'd just spent the past 4 hours wheelchair ADVENTURING...so i was tired but the exercise in my legs felt good. I'm not a light pop drinker. I'm a heavy user so I needed to pick up a 12 pack. I considered the 2 liter...but again that's simply not enough! I'm pretty proud of all my "power lifting" at the gym so I stopped my cart and saddled up next to the towering stack. I steadied, braced, and grabbed the carton...after assessing proper hand hold and solid foot plant. I turned pivoted and heaved!--much like I've seen the Strongman do on TV. The course of my trajectory rang true. The cartoon cleared the cart and soon landed harshly against the wire bottom.

I only had a moment to celebrate...the momentum had been too strong. I too followed the carton into the cart. Now check your "cart" (the cell phone). I was about half way down the side, belly over the edge, behind in the air. "Oh no!" I thought. "This is not good!" I instinctively threw my arms out and forced my feet to the ground. With all my might I grabbed the push end of the cart with one hand and threw great force at the side of the cart with my other hand. I also walked my legs to try to get my center of gravity underneath me. In sum total, if Newton (Sir Isaac) could assess he'd say "yes, don't do this." The result was that I was making a slow slide across the aisle....much like a football player pushing a blocking sled.

This only served to confuse the Wal-Mart public. A lady who spoke broken English approached...slooowed...and passed. I knew I needed help but I couldn't quite figure out how to ask. My comfort being that as soon as I made it all the way across the aisle I would land against something solid and regroup. This woman who spoke the broken English found herself smack dab in the midst of a moral dilemma. "Do I go back and help this person?" or "Do I pretend I didn't see her and she doesn't want my help?" Whatever her thoughts she was a single person coming across the scene of an accident. She confirmed what decades of Social psychology would predict...she returned to the scene and tried to help!

but first she asked "do you needs ah help?"

I said. "um yes, please."

she nodded.

I asked if she could stop the cart from moving.

she nodded.

Now here's what I need you to do. Once again get out your cell phone. Lay it flat with rectangle, long sides top and bottom and the short sides at the ends. This is your "cart." Now put one finger bottom left corner the other finger top right and sloooowly push. You should get the "cart" slowly pirouetting in a circle...

(She had provided her stopping force at my pivot point).

Uh-huh and this is what I did in the middle of the aisle at Wal Mart on a Saturday afternoon. Although still a bit embarrassed, I am also weirdly satisfied at having eventually breached this gulf in communication and later purchasing 2 gallons of milk with no further incidents.

Happy Monday.

Amanda
Come Again!