Offical Kick Off of Write of Passage

Character.

Working with the general public all day long exposes you to the entire spectrum of personalities and character types. Serial shoppers , mean people, deformed people, challenged people, rude people, warm people, hyper people, people who allow their kids to run wild, people who are amused, people who are bored, people who just want to eat, people who just want to shop, people who want to eat and shop, people who hold purses for their wives , people who just hold purses , people who help their mates to the bathrooms, fat people, skinny people, people returning from cancer treatments at Vandy, people with no hair, people with too much hair, people with seeing eye dogs, people without an arm, people without sight, people without shame, people without compassion ,people who want candy, people who want pies, people who express gratitude, people who express impatience, people who want gift wrap, people who tell you how to do your job, people who are grateful you know how to do your job, people who want bows, people who want boxes, people who want an uncrushed box, people who want what is on the top of the highest shelf, people who like snowmen, people who are afraid of the weasel chasing the ball, people who look good in wraps, people who look short in wraps, people who ignore you, people who call you by name, people who smile, people who scowl , people who hum, people who talk to themselves, people who touch everything, people who bark at their children not to touch anything , people who look lost , people who are lost, people who rush to the bathroom , people who do not flush, people who line the commode seat with tissue paper and leave it behind, people who miss the trash can, people who refuse to touch the door plates and open with their elbows arms crooked like a doctor entering the OR , people who startle easily, people who enter the wrong bathroom, women who scream when seeing a man in the women’s bathroom, little boys in the women’s bathroom , sad looking little girls exiting the men’s bathroom, old folks on walkers, young folks in wheel chairs , broken arms in pink casts, broken legs in blue casts , crutches , canes, and XXXL “do you have anything larger” people, Tennessee orange , Alabama red , Florida orange and blue , Kentucky Blue, Austin Peay Red, Western Kentucky red, tall athletes, bus loads of retires looking for Horehound drops, basketball teams, volleyball teams, cheerleading teams, little league teams, coaches, People with books, people with newspapers , people with Bibles, people with brief cases , people with notebooks, people with lists , people in groups, people alone, people together, people kissing , people hugging, people kissing passionately , people rocking , people expounding on religion, people preaching politics, people talking about mission trips, men and women in fatigues, men and women in dress uniforms, people attending weddings, people attending funerals , people traveling , people passing through, people stuck, people yanking children by the arm, people with twins, people with four day old babies, people carrying baby carriers, babies laughing, babies crying, children running, children throwing tantrums, children playing in the toy department , children in Uggs, children in cowboy boots, children barefoot, children with a white streak in their hair (natural), children living with their grandparents , children visiting their grandparents, grandparents visiting their children, soldiers returning from Afghanistan, newlyweds, married 64 years, those who love, those who do not love, those who are affectionate, those who are chatty, those who are sour, those who are happy ,those who are sad, those who are lonely, those who are in a hurry, those who linger too long ,those who want something from six months ago ,those who want the last one, those who will not take the last one, those who wait until it goes on sale, those who don’t care what it costs, those who tell you how wonderful you are, those who tell your boss how wonderful you are, those who burst out the door shouting how rude you are, those who touch, those who grab your hand, those who tell you secrets, those who tell you dreams ,those who tell you “thanks” and not mean it, those who tell you thanks and mean it, those who dress like hookers, people who do not wash and smell bad, those on spike heels, those in combat boots, those in work boots, those who run out on the check, those who checks will not cash, those who return (used) merchandise, those who steal merchandise, those who argue about merchandise (that is clearly marked 25% off!!), those who want the manager, those who run out of gas, those who need a jump, a phone book, an aspirin, those who need a slap in the face, a course on etiquette, a bath, a kick in the ass, those who are too sweet, too young for motherhood, too young for fatherhood, too young for military service (they look like they are 12 sometimes), and then there are those who make you cry with their stories, who make you laugh with their witticisms…….

How in the world could I make up stories about the character of the people I meet and greet in a typical day?

The reality is enough.

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This post was written in response to a writing challenge from {W}rite-of-Passage, a "...group of writers seeking a challenge, getting critique, and finding community."