The Elwood General Store

Last week, Eddy, who co-owns the Elwood General Store, described on her blog several encounters that took place within a single hour in her store. Today I sat at my laptop all day and because it rained, didn't leave the house. I have never met Eddy but today imagined myself dropping into her store for a packet of tea and to have an encounter just like one of these:

8:30am
The Milk delivery man comes in beaming about the
beautiful day, comments on the music I have playing
and together we sing along to the next line in the song..
"Will you bend or will you break..."
(both the shitest singers you ever did hear..)
and then he wishes me a not too busy and enjoyable rest of the day

We have never met before.

8:50am
Dspa comes in to buy tofu.
She and her Husband have just adopted two gorgeous girls
A who is 6 and C who is 8. They have 6 other siblings with other
carers. I ask her how the girls are doing and she laughs and says
taking a very tired breath," They teach me every day how much stuff I have buried and not wanted to face. Not one of us are perfect, not one of us on the planet, but you should see how wonderful my girls are.
I just love them. They're perfect."

9:00am
An old man, who is quite tall with hands like a cauliflower
and the most gentlest of eyes asks very softly if I have
a cream for tired feet. I give him a cream made of mixture of calendula, paw paw and shea butter, we both agree his feet will be as 'soft as a babies bottom' and he giggles like an 8 year old boy.

9:10am
A woman buys two bags of peppermint leaf and licorice leaves and leans over the counter and says, "gimee some thyme love" so I say, "well I got ten minutes, what is it you want to tell me!" and she laughs and laughs and laughs... then we talk tea blends for ten mins quite earnestly.

9:20am
S comes in, she has just put down
her cat and has been sad.
She has taken a day off work,
"my boss is a bit of a megalomaniac
but he is quite understanding with his
bipolar employees. You know actually
I'm so grateful I can express my
grief, I'm off the Valium, I just wanted to come
in and say thank you for listening and preying for J (her cat)
as he goes to the after life"

9:30am
and in comes D
partner to N, both actors ( who quite honestly
are, if we had favorites, the shop's favorite couple)
They are always smiling anyway, gush gush..
He has a weepy eye, its been a tough week..
I have eyebright in capsule form but
"the caps just seem like the long way round, if you know what i mean!"
So a herb mix of chamomile and eyebright for an eye bath
do the trick..

9:31
I take a sip of mexican coffee and
sing to myself " will you rize or will you
fall..........will you bend or will you break,
will you give or will you take.....
while you're sleeping cold tonight?"

and the day goes on...