the greatest conundrum of all time...

So, there I was. Faced with the most confusing obstacle of all time. Standing there, wondering... Why, when Safeway opens at 12 pm on Sundays, are all these people here already at 11:45? They literally were standing there.... waiting... in line. Already. They had to have known that Safeway only opens at 12. Because they looked like they'd done this before. But there they were, slowly, filtering into the little lobby place with all the carts... and waiting.

I realized however that there's more than one stage of this lunacy. The first level of lunacy are those who wait in their cars. They sit there, with their cars idling, waiting. Even though they fully know that Safeway opens at 12. They sit and wait. Why didn't they leave their houses later? What is so special about getting there right as it opens? Does the store have a freshly-opened smell when you get there right at 12? Are the staff more helpful? Is there a secret stash of Kraft Dinner that runs out in 5 minutes of the store opening?

I have no idea. The second level of lunacy are the people that wait outside. Even though they could be inside, they wait outside. And they laugh at the people inside. They say things like, "Like it's going to open any faster if you stand near the door." Because somehow, standing outside in the cold and waiting makes you less of a lunatic than the people inside, warm and cozy.

The highest level. The one that your parents don't tell you about when you're growing up. The one that they keep off the evening news so there isn't a world-wide panic. The people who wait by the door. They're there while employees are still showing up for work. They're there reading the coupon newspaper and scouting for great deals. They're there... waiting. Peering into through the windows, wondering when the door will open. One guy, I swear, was there from about 12:40 on. 20 minutes!!

I know this... because I was also standing there. BUT! I have a perfectly legitimate excuse. I parked my car in the Safeway parking lot at about 12:40 and then walked across the parking lot to the Starbucks and bought a coffee. Little did I know, but that takes less time than I thought it does to make a White Chocolate Mocha... so there I was, standing inside the lobby at Safeway at 12:45... watching the people pour in. They even eventually formed a line, some of them, incase there was a mad rush in Safeway, atleast we knew who was going to be first. Except for the kind lady who opened the door opened the other door without the line first and I got in before all the other crazies. (Hee hee)

Maybe then, Safeway is like the great equalizer of life. Forcing people to wait. Forcing them to stand in a group. Become a part of something. I felt like leading them in a group song or something. We all knew it opened at 12. And yet... we were all there early. Sniff. That's a moment, right there.