When crankiness hits:

I consider myself to be a generally upbeat person, but sometimes I feel like a cranky old lady.

Today, for example. I went to Dicks Sporting Goods to buy a pair of Brooks, my favorite athletic shoes, with a 20% off coupon I’d clipped from The Free Press. Brooks jogging shoes fit my problem feet well, even though I speed walk more than I do jog.

In the 70s, jogging wasn’t anything that required special athletic gear, like gel cushioning in shoes, high performance underwear or bluetooth headphones. Pronated feet, arch support or ethically sourced materials weren’t an issue. We ran in anything. We called athletic shoes tennies, short for tennis shoes. Later, when shoes got a bit more fancy, we called them joggers (not joggies), short for jogging shoes. Most athletic shoes now feature breathable fabric, but I remember how my feet always sweated in those canvas shoes.

Anyway, with coupon in hand, I planned to buy a pair of Brooks now and stash them away for springtime. Who wouldn’t be excited to save 24 bucks on something you love?

Six people were in line at the register, and the only cashier had some kind of problem. Maybe the guy was returning something, or needed a price check. It didn’t matter what was going on—having to wait made me especially cranky because of the bad country music blasting throughout the store. It was so bad I broke out in a sweat. I had loosen my scarf and unzip my jacket.

It got worse:

When I finally reached the register, the cashier told me the coupon wasn’t good for Brooks’ shoes.

“Does it say that on the coupon?” I asked.

“No,” she said. The other cashier, who’d just arrived after my long wait, told me some brands have locked-in prices and don’t go on sale.

I didn’t want to argue with them, but I sure wish that fact had been listed on the coupon. It vaguely referenced exceptions that were supposedly listed somewhere in the store. I didn’t see any list. I bought the joggers anyway. Crankily.

It’s often the little things

The weather had turned sharply colder and windy, and snow was in the forecast, so I figured I’d fill my gas tank on the way home. My husband has a motto: When things look bad, get your gas tank filled.

The pin pad at the Mobil station pump didn’t work. I hopped back into my car and pulled up to the next pump. This one worked. While the gas flowed, I wanted to clean my rear windshield, but there wasn’t a squeegee in the drum at either pump. I walked over to the far pumps and found one lone squeegee, but quickly realized none of the drums had any washer fluid. All six of them were empty.

This added to my crankiness. I noticed a sign on the pump: “How was your visit today? Tell us at myexxonmobilvisit.com”

Well. I decided I would do that.

Dissent

When I got home, I went online and told them about my visit. Doing that, along with a hot cup of coffee, improved my crankiness. I felt so much better that I put on my new Brooks’ tennies and the lovely Ruth Bader Ginsberg “Dissent Earrings” my daughter got me for Christmas. Justice Ginsberg has a special collar she wears on days when she dissents from decisions being handed down by the Supreme Court. These earrings are fashioned like her collar.

“I figured you’d like these,” my daughter said. She was right. I do. And I feel a whole lot less cranky.

So here’s to dissent in 2020.

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Linda K. Sienkiewicz is the author of the award-winning novel In the Context of  Love, a story about one woman’s need to tell her truth without shame. Discovering who you want to be isn’t easy when you can’t leave the past behind.

2017 New Apple Book Awards Official Selection
2016 Sarton Women’s Fiction Finalist
2016 Eric Hoffer Book Award Finalist
2016 Readers’ Favorite Finalist
2016 USA Book News Best Book Finalist

“…at once a love story, a cautionary tale, and an inspirational journey.” ~ Bonnie Jo Campbell, author of National Book Award Finalist, American Salvage, and critically acclaimed Once Upon a River,and Mothers, Tell Your Daughters

“With tenderness, but without blinking, Linda K. Sienkiewicz turns her eye on the predator-prey savannah of the young and still somehow hopeful.” ~ Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of the #1 NY Times Bestseller, Deep End of the Ocean

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