Are you interacting with humans?

I was headed to a party in Queens, NY, and had to make a pit-stop at a local pharmacy/retail chain (CVS) to grab a card for the birthday boy – my big brother.

As I was perusing the greeting cards trying and find the perfect sentiment, an older man approached me, holding a card he picked out.

He said, “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure,” I said.

He said, “I have two neighbors that just had a baby. They are lesbians, and I don’t know if this card will offend them or not,” and he gingerly handed me the card to take a look.

I read the card and it said something like, “Congratulations on welcoming your baby into the world! You will be great parents.”

I handed the card back and said, “There’s nothing in here that would offend them. You did good.”

He thanked me and headed to the long line at the cash register with his thoughtful card.

It took me a few minutes but, I too, found the perfect card and then walked toward the line at the register to pay.

A young man standing ahead of me, turned around and in a thick German accent said, “Can you tell me vy the refrigerators are locked? I vant to buy something and I can’t get vat I vant from the freezer. Vy are they locked?”

I said, “Oh, sometimes they get locked if there is high crime in the area. Where I used to live in Manhattan on 97^th street, the CVS had almost everything locked up! Including toothpaste and hair products. The store was getting robbed all the time.”

He looked shocked and said, “Really?!!”

I said, “Yea but, all you have to do is connect with someone that works in the store and they’ll unlock it for you.”

I made eye contact with the woman behind the counter and told her this guy needed access to the freezer.

She grabbed her keys and walked back to the freezer with the German tourist. He chose his favorite flavored ice-cream and when he came back, I let him resume his place in line ahead of me.

He said, “Thank you. I can’t believe zay would lock up ze ice-cream! I do hope things get better for America.”

“Yes,” I said, “I hope so, too.”

When I finally made it up to the register, the woman asked if I had a CVS card. I told her I didn’t have one, but I did have my phone number linked to the account.

As I finished up giving her my number, I heard a voice behind me say, “Excuse me. Excuse me. Can you please repeat that number a little louder and a little slower for me?”

I turned around to see a middle-aged black gentlemen, a little bit older than I am. Maybe in his late 60’s or early 70’s. He was neatly dressed in his Sunday best, and he smiled wide and winked at me. I giggled and he giggled. And, a few people in line giggled, too. It was a fun lighthearted moment.

Besides purchasing the retail goods we all needed while we were at the store, there were nice human transactions at the pharmacy, too.

I personally believe that humans are:

• Thoughtful
• Playful
• Curious
• Helpful
• Concerned
• Flirtatious

And, so much more than how we are portrayed on the evening news.

When you watch the news you would think everyone in the world wants to kill each other at the drop of a hat. But, that’s not the truth.

Most of us just want to get along with each other while having our human experience here on earth.

As you go through this life, remember to interact with your fellow humans – they’re not going to bite you – and you may just have some fun.

If you want a giggle, here is my video take on what happened at the store:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DHTZs35uA5W/