I don’t know if there is a patron saint for shoppers, but I feel like I had a shopping guardian angel on a recent trip to Duluth.
Like most North Shore residents when I have to head to Duluth for a meeting or doctor appointment, I have a long list of things to do and items to pick up while I’m there. Usually, the list includes several things for family members or friends. There is always a shirt or pair of shoes to be exchanged; a special order at the fabric store to pick up; or an unusual ingredient for a recipe to be found. And frequently a cell phone call adds to the list.
On this most recent trip, after driving to Duluth on snow-packed Highway 61 through a near-whiteout I was ready to be done shopping as quickly as possible. But first—a stop for lunch at Taco Bell. My husband Chuck and I wanted to grab a quick lunch, get our tasks done and head back up the shore before dark. The place wasn’t very busy and I must admit Chuck and I were getting a little irritated that our small order was taking so long.
But then, an attentive counter attendant noticed that we had been waiting a long time. She asked to see our receipt. It only took a couple of minutes and she was back with our order, apologizing for the delay and throwing in an order of those crispy cinnamon treats for the inconvenience. That was a nice surprise and put us in a better mood to face shopping.
After a couple of stops, we headed to Walmart. I figured we could get a lot done at the superstore, including picking up some printer cartridges my mom needed. We were disappointed to see a bare shelf where the cartridges she needed should be. It meant yet another stop at the office supply store down the road.
As Chuck flipped through the little book of printers and cartridge numbers to see if another number would work for my mom’s printer, I looked around for a clerk to see if there were any more cartridges in the stockroom. For some reason, I took one last desperate look at the shelf—and there, where I swear there was nothing just a minute before—was the exact printer cartridge she needed. A minor miracle!
Our last stop was the dollar store. I had to return to the dollar store to pick up one item because of our appropriately named puppy, Trouble. On a previous trip to Duluth I had found a fun little gift for each of my nieces and nephews and grandkids. Unfortunately, as I was sorting the various gifts I bought on that trip, Trouble absconded with one of the gifts—and chewed it up.
I approached the dollar store with dread. I just knew that what I needed would be gone. I went to the aisle where I had found the original items and sure enough, there was a whole new display of dollar store stuff. My head started to ache a little as I tried to think of an alternate gift for one of the kids. But then something caught my eye. Tucked between the shelf and the wall, was just what I was looking for. There was one left. Another minor miracle!
Perhaps I’m making too big a deal about these little discoveries. But among the hustle and bustle of shopping for the usual supplies and the added pressure of finding Christmas gifts, those serendipitous moments seemed to have been orchestrated by a friendly force. I like the idea of a shopping guardian angel—I hope you all have one too.
Merry Christmas everyone!
There are only two ways to
live your life. One is as though
nothing is a miracle. The
other is as though everything
is a miracle.
Albert Einstein
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