I had a weird experience in the supermarket this morning.

It didn’t involve (as past weird supermarket experiences have) a fellow shopper who belches and whistles almost simultaneously, or the peculiar lady who speaks to the packages of raw chicken, both of whom I’ve encountered on previous shopping excursions.

Today, as I do every time I go food shopping, I used the store’s “mobile pay” system.  I have an app on my phone, scan and bag my items as I shop, and (on the occasions when the kiosk is actually operational) swipe my credit card on the way out of the store, grab my receipt, and go on my merry way.

But, as it frequently is, the mobile pay kiosk was out of order this morning, which meant I had to wait for a manager to try and unsuccessfully fix the machine (Once, she was actually able to fix it by blowing on it.  I’m not kidding).  For a moment this morning, it even looked like my order wasn’t going to transfer from my phone to her register, in which case she’d have to re-scan all of my already bagged items.  Annoying and time consuming, but not the end of the world.

To my delight, she was able to process my order at her register.  Now, here’s where the weird part comes in.

She began to thank me.  Profusely.  In a way that confused me.  I must have had a bewildered look on my face after the first “thank you,” because she explained to me that she wishes they didn’t even have this stupid mobile pay, and not because she feels her job will be in jeopardy (because clearly, she is still essential).  But because she gets yelled at by customers when the self-pay kiosk isn’t working.  Every. Single. Day.

So, basically, she was thanking me for not being rude to her.

And this made me a little sad, both for this woman who has to go to work every day, expecting that she is going to be treated poorly, and for our society as a whole, because treating someone without courtesy has apparently become so commonplace.

I’m going to assume that this manager’s stop when she arrived at work that morning wasn’t the mobile pay kiosk, where she entered a “let’s screw with the customers” code.  And I’d ask that you do the same.  Give someone the benefit of the doubt today.  I promise, you’ll feel better about it later.

This weekend, I get to be part of an amazing, decades-long tradition at my kids’ elementary school.   It’s a fundraiser that nets the school more than $20,000 each year.   But it’s so much more than that.

Each winter, the school’s parents perform a full production of an original show (written by a school parent, and selected by a parent committee the previous spring).  There’s acting, singing, dancing, a live band, and full costumes.  There’s a dance number performed by teachers.

Many of us tend to be a generation of parents who put so much focus on our kids and their accomplishments.  I love that this show, for just a little while, takes the spotlight (literally!) off our kids.  And the kids love seeing their parents perform.  We will do three performances this weekend, and some kids will come to all of them to cheer on their parents.

Beyond that, there are so many lessons our kids learn from watching their parents rehearse for a month and perform in the school show:

Hard work pays off.  Depending on what their role is in the show, parents can rehearse several nights a week and on the weekends for the month leading up to the show.  For the parents in director or producer roles, the work goes on for nearly a year.  But the end result is super cool.

Really, Dad CAN take care of you. Many of us moms (whether we work full-time, part-time, or at home)  are the primary caregiver for the kids. So, when we’re at rehearsal at night or on the weekend, it shows our kids that we’re not the only ones who can read a bedtime story, help with homework, or make dinner.

It’s pretty awesome to try something new.  Some of us performed in school plays or dance recitals when we were kids.  Some of us were too shy.  Some of us were too busy playing sports.  The point is, it’s never too late to get up and do something you’ve never done before.  This year, one of my friends – a mom of a 3rd grader and a kindergartner – thought it would be fun to perform in the tap number.  Even though she’d never tap danced in her life.  So she went out as a full-grown adult and bought her first pair of tap shoes.  I can’t wait to see it.

Making a mistake is NOT the end of the world.  This will be the sixth year I’m taking part in the show.  And I know that every year, I’ve screwed something up, whether it be a dance move, a song lyric, or missing an entrance.  And you know what?  Nobody noticed.  And if they did, it just didn’t matter.

Old friends are great. And it’s also fun to meet someone new.  Every year, I get to spend some time at rehearsals  with some “mom friends” who I don’t have a chance to see a lot.  I also love that I’ve had the opportunity to meet people I might not otherwise have met, because our kids are in different grades and we don’t live on the same street.

Oh, and us parents get to learn a few things too.  Mostly that it’s okay to act like a kid and have some fun.  Let the show go on!

Someone was tailgating me on the highway this morning.  Definitely one of my pet peeves, partly because it’s annoying and dangerous, and partly because it feels like a judgment on my driving, like I’m not going fast enough.

I know how silly that is, but I realized that for a lot of us, a pet peeve sometimes has more to do with us than they do about the person who is perpetrating said peeve.

For example, it bugs me when I’m having a conversation with someone, and they’re doing something else, like watching TV, checking something on their phone, or looking around at other people.  Because I assume that not only is this person just rude, but whatever they are being distracted by must be way more interesting than whatever is coming out of my mouth.

But then again, I get annoyed by things that have little to do with me or any insecurity I might have.  Why do some people insist on leaving on their sunglasses when they come inside?  I’ll give you a pass if you have some vision impairment that requires you to be protected from indoor light.  Or if you’re hung over.  But otherwise, please take them off.

I’m going to consider the next one a cross between a pet peeve and a fashion tip.  If you are wearing leggings, they are not pants.  Repeat, NOT pants.  Don’t get me wrong, leggings are comfy and cute.  I have some too.  But if you wear them, please wear something that covers your behind.  That’ll be all.

And here’s another one.  Anyone who has kids (including myself) knows that sometimes they get loud or misbehave.  Sometimes at the same time.  I promise I will not judge you if this happens in the supermarket.  You will, in fact, get my sympathy.  But here’s what I don’t get.  People will pull a screaming toddler out of a shopping cart (and leave behind a cart of groceries that it’s taken 40 minutes to fill while they’ve tried to entertain this toddler).  But if this happens in a restaurant, we’d all love it if you’d take this toddler somewhere else until he or she can be a little quieter.  I’m sure that shallot cream sauce on your plate is delicious, but please don’t wait until you’ve finished all of it.

And one more thing. I know what you’re sayin’.  You don’t need to ask.