April 15 – “On Unmistakable directioning”

Happy tax day that is not really tax day ... for this year anyway ... I think.  I heard you could forego sending in your tax return until July because of the pandemic.  Well, we didn’t wait.  Better safe than sorry, I guess. 

I was cleared by the boss to do a Randall’s run yesterday.  The Boss.  My wife.  Actually it was all just because I had a prescription I had to pick up.  But she did allow me to grab a few of the groceries we needed.  So … about this trip. 

I wore my brand new COVID mask that Chris just made me.  It has a print that is an homage to fire fighters.  She made it from the leftovers of a quilt she just completed.  I read that masks from quilting material are effective in the 69-79% range.  That’s probably why she let me out the door.  I certainly wasn’t the only one masked up, though.  The store obviously requires employees to have them.  Now they can work on getting them to actually wear them properly.  I saw one person pushing one of those call-in order carts.  She had her mask around her neck and covering just her mouth.  To her credit, she did pull it up when she approached an elderly customer. 

The store has instituted some other protective measures.  Only one door is open now.  I’m guessing that’s so they can more effectively keep the carts wiped down.  In other words, a staffing issue.  My absolute favorite, however, is the one-way lanes.  Every lane in the store is marked at its entrance with red duct tape and a big square indicating which way is the approved direction for shopping.  The squares also included a reminder to “Stay 2 carts apart.”  And in case you didn’t understand, it included a picture of two shopping carts.  That absolutely made my day right there, but I soon learned that was not all.  In the middle of each lane – in case you happened to forget or perhaps missed the One Way sign at lane’s beginning, was a huge taped-off arrow.  Unmistakable directioning in shopping.  Quite impressive. Oh, and they even had some toilet paper.  Not a whole row of it, mind you.  But toilet paper it was.  We didn’t need any, so there might be a roll or two for you.

Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who me and gave himself for me.”

Father, thank you for places that are doing their part to protect folks.  Honor their efforts.  Amen.