PARKING LOT PERDITION
I’m not at my best in crowds. On top of that, I loathe jam-packed parking lots, but it’s hard to avoid them in this fast growing world. Bloated parking lots and scads of people are a lot like the old adage, “Where there’s smoke there’s fire.” If one is there, the other is a given.
When the opportunity presents itself, I try to outsmart the occasion. But that takes teamwork to strive and save in order to get more of the precious commodity we all took for granted at some point in our life; time.
I grimaced at the thought of braving the crowds of people on a Sunday afternoon at Costco; the mega wholesale warehouse. You have to be a member to get past the Gestapo and the line forms outside while everyone flashes their identification cards to get in… I don’t have one… but they let me tag along with my wife or daughters that do.
It’s the perfect store to buy in bulk. And I mean the kind of bulk that could fulfill many basic needs for a season, some for a lifetime. If a person ate that much peanut butter in one season, it would likely be their last.
“We’re never gonna find a parking space,” I groaned to my wife who’d pulled the classic bait and switch on me. I thought our destinations were only going to be Home Depot and Sprouts… til she added the human sardine store and parking lot to our agenda. Then again, it was my idea to have steak.
“Just pull up and drop me off and you can drive around then pick me back up,” my wife gave me a pass in our trip to parking lot perdition.
“Okay,” I agreed greedily and drove off thinking to myself, “One outta two ain’t bad… that woman is good to me.”
I drove around the packed parking lot with zero pressure of having to find a space, whistling would have been apropos. I just softly sang along to a song on the radio. It felt good. I could see desperation in the eyes of the other driving sardines, but not mine… because I’m a pretty swell guy. Not to mention the fact that God likes me.
I wasn’t too surprised when a space was opening up as close to the front door as possible – without it being a handicapped space. I sat back in the seat with my signal on, feeling pretty smug and a bit above the other commoners, while I waited for the young girl in a BMW to pull out and clear my divinely appointed parking space.
I smiled, waved kindly, as she pulled out of the space and past me. Just as I was pulling into God’s space, a kid in a little red four banger cut me off moving at light speed, smiling, and almost skidded to a stop… in my space!
A good Christian may have driven on, chalking it up to the ways of the fallen world. A less than mature Christian may have shaken their head in disgust. The next down the ladder to levels in heaven may have called the smiling punk a “Jerk”.
Me? I pulled my car within inches behind the kid’s and was out of my car and at his rolled down window before he could say, “Finders keepers – losers weepers!'”
“Not happ-nin!!! I been sittin’ there with my signal on waiting!”
The punk’s clever smile was gone like the dinosaurs when the suddenly humble kid meekly asked, “Would you like me to move?”
“Yes!!! … Please!” The ‘please’ I added at about half the decibels of the ‘yes’.
I backed up and let him pull out as I pulled back into the space… not feeling nearly as favored by God and the blood still pumping in the veins of my neck and forehead.
I wonder how often we hoard the same grace extended to us from God Himself.
Math was never my strong suit… but I suspect I can’t count that high…
Hazel Moon
Sunday, November 23, 2014 @ 11:49 pm
Yes, you are human, and I bet my sweet hubby would have done the same thing. I doubt if that kid will try that again. I had to laugh at your post, because I could just envision you and also see that boy deciding he had made a Baaad choice.
Thank you for sharing your honest heart and allowing this to be shown again at “Tell Me a True Story.” Hope your wife got some good sales at Costco. We are going tomorrow to Costco but due to our old bones, we have one of those parking stickers.
Nannette and the Sweetheart
Monday, November 24, 2014 @ 4:25 am
You bless me. You are real! I can see The Sweetheart doing the same thing. Hopefully that young man learned a valuable lesson. Love, love, love the ending.
Bill (cycelguy)
Monday, November 24, 2014 @ 9:37 am
I confess my superior Christian faith would have reacted the same way. I hate rudeness (not that I am ever rude). but the ending was superb Floyd. My math is bad anyway…even worse when I would be asked to count.
Sharon
Monday, November 24, 2014 @ 9:57 am
Floyd, I’ve been there and done that. That parking lot thing? In our family we call it “Sharks and Guppies.” I find it an apt way to describe the way that we sharks in our cars trail after the guppy people leaving the store, hoping against hope to be the first person to pounce on their parking spot when they leave. I admit to having a less-than-stellar Christian attitude in parking lots. About a week ago, I got stuck in a parking structure. Bumper-to-bumper traffic. Stopped for several minutes at a time. I remember yelling a lot of creative sentences about other people. I remember yelling…a lot. I just might have cut a few people off, maybe, and I just might have gone way over the speed limit when I finally cut free. Mrs. Mature? Not that day.
I find it such a good lesson when you took this event and transferred it onto the idea of grace. Oh dear. Yes, all too often I am quick to condemn and judge others, forgetting that my share of His grace was never deserved in the first place. Grace isn’t grace, really, unless it’s shared.
GOD BLESS!
Nancy
Monday, November 24, 2014 @ 10:31 am
Fried Green Tomatoes – the movie, came to mind. 🙂 Oh…I’ve been tempted!
Yesterday as Randy waited patiently for traffic to clear in congested parking lot, it seemed obvious to us that he was positioned to back our F250 into to parking space that had just opened. A small car zipped into “his” space! “What?” he exclaimed? and thew his hands up.
I can understand the frustration because it seems only “just”. He did everything “right” and someone else stole “his place!”
Without another word, he straightened the truck and proceeded to go around again. Finding that another equally suitable space opened up, he backed into that one. The guy from the car seemed to be hanging around, albeit awkwardly. I mentioned to Randy that the guy seemed to be “waiting” around for something. As soon as Randy rolled down his window, the guy came a little closer, cupped his hands to his mouth and yelled, ” I’m sorry, I really didn’t know you were planning to back into the space!” Randy nodded and his smile extended mercy. It brought to mind what Joyce Meyer shared about those who are not treating us how they should. She says, “I let them go, I set them free!” I wish I always got it right, but I don’t. Remembering the Grace. Yes, you are right – that’s where it’s at. How would Jesus act? In Grace.
Barb Raveling
Monday, November 24, 2014 @ 1:18 pm
I laughed at this story, Floyd. The parking lot at our Costco’s is so bad I can’t ever go there without commenting on how bad it is. It seems like every spot is miles away from the front door and we’re all fighting for the same few spaces. Fortunately, it’s an hour away so we don’t go to it that often. 🙂 But don’t those free samples make it all worth the effort? 🙂
Loren Pinilis
Tuesday, November 25, 2014 @ 10:29 am
Haha. As we get closer to this shopping season, these parking lot occurrences are going to be more and more regular. I’m always one that takes the farthest space away and just walks anyway. Never understood everyone waiting 2 minutes to save themselves a 30 second walk.
Betty Draper
Tuesday, November 25, 2014 @ 5:28 pm
Love Nancy reminder of “Fried Green Tomatoes”. There have been a few times I wanted to ram someone for taking my parking space, thank God I didn’t. Even as I wrote the sentence out it hit home that I called it, “”””my””” parking space as if paid for and built it. I can be territorial about things that make my life easy. Hard to give up our rights with a good attitude. You are too funny Floyd, always able to bring life today in a way it reveals the sinner in us in need of a Savior. Good writing brother.
child of God
Wednesday, November 26, 2014 @ 2:43 pm
Hmm, I have had that happen to me a few times but I admit I was too scared to pull off what you did. On the other hand, did I mention to you that you sound like my husband? 😛 Maybe that’s just a guy thing.
Blessings brother, you are soooooo special!
Joanne Norton
Wednesday, November 26, 2014 @ 9:16 pm
What you described is something that can happen so easily, so often at any of these large parking areas at the places similar to Walmart, Target, Home Depot, and many, many others. I have to concentrate when driving in and looking around. Even with our horrific cold and stormy time now, these situations still are in our life. You shared good, as usual, Bro. Thanks.
Mike
Saturday, November 29, 2014 @ 12:45 pm
Floyd, I feel ya. I would have done the exact same thing. As for feeling like you didn’t do the Christian thing, I might suggest that you did. You taught that young upstart that that kind of behavior can be detrimental to his health. And a lesser man or non Christian might have beaten the rudeness out of him. So you actually taught him a little humility as well as how to make better life decisions. It’s all in the perspective my friend. 🙂
Sandra @ Sandra's Ark
Monday, December 1, 2014 @ 5:00 pm
Well I wish I had been there to see the look on his face.
I’m really siding with you did that in the nicest possible way and it was a pleasant lesson for the lad to learn. 😉