Bless Him

I had to stop by the ATM to get some cash.  I didn't really want to.  Let's re-order those words.  I really didn't want to.  I think that says it better.  I had the 3, 2 and 4 month old with me and the closest ATM was in a gas station.  That meant buckling all the kids in the car, unbuckling them at the gas station, encouraging them to continue trailing after me into the door of the gas station, making sure they didn't touch everything they saw in the gas station, getting out money, making sure they all realized we were now leaving the gas station, encouraging them to trail after me back to the car, then buckling them all back in their seat belts again.  For all of that I figure I should have been given an extra $20 at no cost from the ATM.

We pulled up to the gas station and parked in the one spot available next to a station wagon chock-full of vending machine gloriousness - cookies, muffins, candy bars - gloriousness.  There was an old man shuffling between his well stocked trunk and his stuffed-full passenger door, putting muffins here and twix there.  We smiled at him on our way in.  On our way out a different old man had just parked his car next to us and was striding in as I beckoned at my distracted ducklings, and he said, "Got enough of 'em?"  I laughed.  I usually do that.  And I said, "Hey, there is another one too."  I kinda don't think he thought that was funny.  It didn't bother me at all.  I am a silly, sometimes flaky, not-too-confident, always questioning myself type of gal, but when it comes to wondering whether or not I should have the four kids that I do in the spacing I've got them - ya can't punch through that brick.  I know it's right.  I know I've got five fingers - I know I should have four kids.  Simple.

But I think the old man with the cookies didn't know that.  As I buckled Thing 1 and Thing 2 in the back I saw him walk toward the door of our car and then turn around, and then walk back toward our door again.  He stuck his face in quickly and said, "Can they share this cookie?"  It was a gigantic chocolate chip wonder.  We all smiled.  "You've got beautiful children," he said.

That man was a true dispenser of gloriousness if you ask me.  Bless him, I say, and everyone like him.