After feeding the dogs and taking a nap, I quickly decided to hop on No. 17 at 4:43 PM. I needed a few things from Walmart and decided I might as well stop at one of my favorite places to research, write, edit, and graze.

I was in and out of Walmart within 15 minutes, nine items in tow.

My dining experience in this familiar haunt was typical. As I entered and paid for my meal, the new associate working the register kept messing up and was getting quite flustered. She apologized several times, and I kept reassuring her that I was not impatient.

I said, “I’ve been in your shoes before. It’s always when things become tense, your breathing gets heavier, your hands begin shaking, you keep majorly messing up, and you’ve got everyone around you terrified.“

She asked what I did for my career.

I said, “I’m a brain surgeon.”

To erase the horrified look on her face, I reassured her that I was a teacher and not a brain surgeon.

While I work and dine, I’m also a people watcher. Sometimes, I regret watching folks. Tonight, I had to shove my face back to the printed pages I was editing. Common courtesies and table manners seem to be missing from our current society. I know and appreciate the fact that things do change but some things should never be relegated to the furthest reaches of the attic’s storage, left for good.

It 6:56 PM and I’m on No. 17 heading south toward downtown Dayton and Kettering.

It’s been a good day.