The other day I walked to town to do some errands. The people that I interacted with at my first three stops impressed me with their good-natured pleasantness.
At the fourth stop, a woman was holding the front door of an office building open with her foot while she focused her attention on the ‘smart phone’ in her hand. I quipped, “Have you got yourself a new job?”
For some reason my little jibe about her being a ‘door-open-holder’ tickled her funny bone. Her laughter was boisterous and contagious.
A short time later I stepped out of the office building’s elevator and started toward the front door. The lady was still holding the door open and pushing buttons on her phone. When she noticed me approaching, we shared more cheerful laughter.
At my next stop, the library, I interacted with an obstinately indifferent computer at one of the ‘self-checkout’ stations. When I informed one of the staff, a jovial young woman, she got a key out a draw and set off to ‘reboot’ the electronic misanthrope.
On my way home, I was walking along a quiet residential street. A man and a twoish-year-old boy were walking toward me on the other side. As we got closer, the little boy, with a smile that could light up a pitch-black room, ran towards me like I was his long lost friend.
I can sum up my feelings about my trip to town in seven words: Canada is a wonderful place to live.
Lloyd Atkins
