The group dynamic in a gas station is very unique and highly amusing, at least to me.

So there I was, on my way home from work and I stop to get gas at the Gate station. Like usual the lot is full and the four pumps are all occupied. My wife calls this particular station the inconvenient store as the lot is small, access is limited, it is always crowed, and school busses fill up there. It is not the easiest place to stop for sure but I like to frequent locally owned establishments that are in my neighborhood in a show of my support for the them, regardless of cost and convenience. Most days I am just getting coffee and park around by the dumpsters anyway, quick and easy access in and out. Pumping gas is another story though, it is very small place and a pain to top off the tanks there, but like I said I like to support my local establishments. Anyway I digress, so there I am, waiting on a pump to open up, the lot was especially crowed, all the spots were full, the sidewalk spot was occupied by a truck and trailer carrying lawn equipment.

I am sitting there listening to the radio while facing into the pumps watching the gentleman pump his gas into his car. I was listening to a new oldies country music station that plays both kinds of music, country and western. Johnny Cash was belting out a number about a burning ring of fire and I was thinking I would not want a burning anything here in the gas station parking lot. Anyway this fellow finished pumping his gas and made the trip inside to get some goodies or a pack of smokes or maybe a cold coke. When he returns with his bag of goodies and pulls away, when he does he temporarily blocked me from advancing, no worries but then all the sudden a lady whips in from the street and before I could get my old jalopy in gear she eases up to the pump. Well by now Kris Kristofferson was telling of a Sunday Morning Coming Down and I thought the timing of that song was almost as perfect as the ring of fire that was on before. So I wait and the position directly beside her opens up and I swing around and back in. I get out whistling the tune Merle Haggard was just singing to me and this lady would not even look at me.

Just as she is going inside she accidently made eye contact with me and quickly looked away and hurried inside for whatever she was about to purchase. Just as I am finishing fueling up the jalopy she runs back out and starts to jump into her car but pauses. I am thinking maybe she forgot the ho-ho’s or something when she pokes her head around the corner of the pump. Now my initial thought was, what is she going to say to me, most likely it will be a comment about the jalopy as it gets a lot of comments. Nope she apologized for jumping the line in front of me, wow how cool is that and my faith in the basic decentness of folks was reaffirmed. She went on to say that when she realized she had jumped me in line she got nervous. Nervous I said, why? She was expecting that I would make a scene and raise a stink with her when I did finally make it to the pump, she must have been trained in the art of and had plenty of experience line jumping I thought to myself. She told me I had restored her faith in the basic decentness of folks (paraphrased for effect), why I asked. She was listening to the same station that I was and heard me humming a Merle tune and was dumbfounded that I was not pissed at her for her line jumping when I got out of my jalopy.

Now I was not sure how to respond to her or how to take the conversation. I told her no worries and that I am never in that big of a hurry to get anywhere or get anything and that I try very hard to not let something so trivial ruin my day. So what the heck is going on that folks have to think like that, have we lost our basic decency and are we afraid of boogey men who are everywhere? I have a practice of smiling and saying hello to folks I pass and you know what, that little trick rarely ever fails to get a smile and greeting in return. I have found this is therapeutic for greeter and greeted, if people are so scared or worried about this problem or that challenge or some other pressure and something as simple as a smile and a hello from a stranger will help, who are we to not do it. I realize it is only a tiny thing and understand that it might only brighten their day for a second but I really think it should be incumbent upon all of us to just forget our problems for a second and smile, even if you don’t say hello just smile to a stranger as you pass, no matter the place. We should be more understanding and compassionate towards that person who “jumped the line” because they have their own bunch of problems and pressures they are trying to cope with as well. How important, really, are the extra couple of minutes to just let them go in front of you at the pump or just let them cut in front of you when in traffic and for pete’s sake, smile a bit more.

Smile friends, you may not know it but really the joke is on you and if you can’t laugh at yourself, along with everyone else, I am sad for you