Last week I was standing in line at the grocery store checking my phone as a half balding man with snow white hair, a nice yellow striped cotton button up shirt, and twill pants with dress shoes pulled up behind me with his shopping cart.
I didn’t notice him because I was staring at my phone, until he made a comment about how people are missing life because they are always on their phones now a days.
I felt a twinge of guilt. I shut my phone off and put it in my pocket.
He made one more comment about how people are staring at their phones all over the world and I agreed with him, but the guilt I was feeling for being caught in the act pushed me into mildly defending myself and telling him I had a million things on the go.
This man, who I can only assume wanted to make conversation began to tell me about the old days.
“People would go to work on the farm and leave the house at sun rise and not return until sun down. No phones & no distractions,” he said. Then he proceeded to tell me that so many people die of heart attacks, strokes, and illness these days because of the stress from always having too much to do.
I agreed that people are far too busy these days.
About then I noticed what was in his shopping cart.
2 six packs of full strength, full sugar, Pepsi.
I had broccoli, cauliflower, onion, lettuce, and kombucha.
Speaking of heart attacks, stroke, and illness… I don’t think our worldview match.
I wondered if they had that much ‘poison’ in the old days he was referring to.
I simply smiled and walked out.