I loathe shopping. It does not increase any anxiety, but it does set my guard up for impending frustrations and dealing with occasional utter stupidity.

I needed a few things from the grocery store and got my determination set to “fierce” mode so that I could mentally ready myself for the brief excursion. Common courtesy, awareness of one’s surroundings, and simple kindness seem to be lost on certain individuals. Today was no exception.

“Stay to the right.”

When I started 7^th grade at Elwood Junior High School, once the former Wendell L. Willkie High School, Mother took me to the building for a tour with the lovely secretary, Jeanette Fortson, a family favorite. We walked the main floor hallway and as we began our ascent to the second floor, Mother stopped me, “When you go up any of these stairs, always, always stay to the right. It’s the same as driving. Stay to the right. Just stay to the right.”

Mrs. Fortson said the principal would be addressing that issue, as would our homeroom teachers. When school began that next week, there were signs at the entrances to “Stay to the Right.”

This isn’t something that seems lost on just young people, but also a lot of adults, as well. Several unnecessary aisle blockages could be avoided if folks simply stayed to the right when shopping.

Mother always kept her cart on the right side of the aisle if she needed to cross over to look at something. To me, that has always made perfect sense as it eliminates any cart clusters. This morning, one lady simply pushed her cart to the left side as though she owned that aisle. When her cart met my cart head-on, I just stood in my place and gave her a moment or two to figure out her next option. With a disgruntled sigh, she moved around me only to face someone else that wasn’t going to put up with her discourtesy. The lady behind me snapped, “You would make things so much easier for yourself and everyone else if you would simply stay to the right.“

That lady became my newest hero. Had I the time, I would have escorted her over to Starbucks at the front of the store to buy her the drink of the day.

When I am exiting, an aisle, I always slowly nudge my card out so that I can see if anybody is coming.  Today, as I carefully inched my cart into a main aisle, the cart was slammed twice by people coming the other direction but who were staying to the left. I could not see them rounding the corner, staying close to the end cap rather than making a wide sweep into the main aisle.

“Don’t you give me that look!” I snarled at this one mid-40s hipster who showed his agitation. “Learn how to steer your cart responsibly.” He did release his facial glare and apologized when it seemed to occur to him that I was not the speed demon rushing through the store as he had been.

Stay to the right.

The sidewalks, at times, are no better. Downtown Dayton. The Oregon District. Kettering. Wherever. And driving! When turning onto a two-lane road, STAY TO THE RIGHT. I notice this, especially at the intersection of Shroyer and Stroop Roads. Folks will be in the left turn lane and remain so after turning rather than moving directly to the right lane.

If I should ever decide to have a grave marker, besides “Let music never die in, forever let my spirit be…” I should have engraved in the stone STAY TO THE RIGHT!

Make it a great day and stay to the right.