Back in 2002 there was a show on PBS called Frontier House. It was about these families that were going to live like people in 1883 did. It's been a long time since I've seen it, but one thing I remember vividly was the toilet paper situation. They didn't have any. One of the teenage girls got caught trying to smuggle in a roll and had to turn it over as contraband. Instead, each member of the family had a rag that he or she used and was responsible for keeping clean. After seeing that, I developed an instant appreciation for toilet paper that last til this day. It's one of my all-time favorite inventions. I could do without the microwave first.
I was at the grocery store this week picking up a handful of items one of which was toilet paper. I had to wait on the man in front of me, but he was almost done when I got in line. While I was waiting, the cashier mentioned she felt sorry for him. She didn't clarify. It seemed odd. I had my mind on other things, though, like how loose my pants were since I've lost a little weight over the holidays. How does that happen?
The cashier was ringing me up. The man was still at the end of the counter with a full cart. The bag girl turns around and announces that the man said that the didn't think the groceries he just bought were his. The employees told him they were. He didn't believe the bag girl or the cashier, who called over a tall bag boy. He tried to convince the man the groceries were his. The man didn't believe him either.
I prayed for the man, but I didn't know anything that I could physically do. It was so sad and hard to witness. I left while they were still trying to help him. I was thankful not just for the toilet paper but the capacity to buy it. I don't know what happened to him. He was elderly and had a hearing aid.
I hope that's not too sad. In book news, I've gone through the sequel again, although December was a hard month to get things done. My plan is to get the book out the door this month.
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