Have A Blessed Day

Joe update: Joe and his “old lady” brought the new little girl home, from the hospital I suppose. After Joe and his mother Ann got them situated Joe walked out to check on the mail. I was cutting grass. I hollowed over and congratulated him and asked him the baby girl’s name. “Rebecca” he said – but he didn’t seem too happy. Rebecca was the name of their dog that used to chase me inside every time she saw me and stood outside barking daring me to come out. I haven’t seen the dog Rebecca in months and months. Maybe the dog Rebecca died. The name is carried on.

Also Joe is showing signs of responsibility, he took down his big Rebel flag that was in his window.

Now, on to this morning.

Yesterday I failed to mention the reason I was in the doctors’ office of the dancing elevator greeter was that it was my cardiologist’s office and I have a check up coming up soon and normally they give me a form or order for blood work, so by the time of my visit the doctor and look at the numbers on my blood conditions, such as cholesterol and talk to me about them as he looks them over and translates them to dollar figures.

So, the other day I called and told them I didn’t have the official form to get the blood work so they told me to come by, they would have one waiting at the counter with my name on it.

This morning I returned to the same doctors building. A separate company does the blood work and they have an office on a different floor. I looked at the directory and that didn’t help, because there are two labs listed. I remember they told me to go to a specific lab, but I forgot what floor and the name.

I figured I could drop by the doctors’ office and ask somebody there where it is. The time was 7:30. The dancing elevator greeter probably doesn’t come on until 8:00 I thought. I took the elevator, got off and sure ‘nuff, she wasn’t outside the elevator. I took a few steps and she ran out from around the corner and asked if she could help me.

I told her I what I was looking for. She asked did the form have blue print or red print. I pulled it out of the envelope and it was blue. She instantly told me it was Drawn Lab on the first floor. She does her job well. Good for her.

She also does a great job with her arms spread out looking for a place to land.

Down on the first floor a sign on the lab door said they opened at 8:00. I had almost 25 minutes to wait. Well, that is why I brought a book.

The lab is supposed to be a 4 nurse operation but only one showed up at 8:00. The one that showed up is young and I was soon to find out inexperienced when it comes to jabbing a needle in one’s arm looking for blood. Yeow!!! And Yeow!!! again and again.

I went by Krogers and Plubix to do some grocery shopping and get my 5% senior discount.

As I was leaving Krogers a man in a business suit had a little table set up. He said he was giving the people an opportunity to donate to a certain charity. He said he could take as little as $25.00. Suddenly, I wasn’t invisible! He was looking at me and talking to me. I told him I was retired and was on a limited income (not to mention I had two different cousins wring money out of me for charities they were collecting for). As I walked off the man said, “Have a blessed day sir!”

The same sentence was spoken to me by a youth in the parking lot of Wal-Mart last Saturday. As we were walking to our car a tall young fellow approached us rather quickly from nowhere and I moved in to block him from Anna’s pocketbook and he pulled out some kind of little brochures and said he was taking money up to stay out of trouble… somehow, it didn’t make sense. I told him I was on a limited income and we have already gave our share. He told me to have a blessed day.

It seems that every time I turn down someone soliciting for a charity they tell me to have a blessed day.

That reminds me of when I was a time keeper/Postal Source Technician in the Atlanta Postal Service. A supervisor there on the workroom floor was named Annie. Annie and I had a good rapport. We were always kidding each other. One time within ear shot I heard Annie chew out an employee and told him she was giving him an official warning and the next time she would suspend him for a week. And she topped it off by saying, “And have a blessed day!”

If a blessed day means being blessed out.

Off and on the next year or so I kidded her about her system of wishing ill on a person then telling them to have a blessed day, like the “blessed day” was also part of the curse. And she would do likewise. She would tell me she hoped I would have a bless day the rest of my life and I would say, “Oh yeah? Same to you!” (clever weren’t I?). Then we wished each other’s children’s children would have a blessed day.

Then one day she didn’t show up for work. After a couple of days somebody went and checked on her and found her dead. She was about 35 when she died.

Then I went to Plubix. Certain items I can get at Publix I can’t at Krogers and visa-versa. The cashier, a tall lanky guy with thick dark hair who goes out of his way to act humble, polite, and official wanted to know if I wanted to give a dollar to xxxxx charity. I said I was over my limit with contributing to charities. He told me to have a blessed day.

He also went on in his make-believe-country act and talked about the weather and I forgot what else..but he ended each pause with a “sir”. I asked him did he used to work for Krogers and he looked around to make sure no one of any importance heard that and said, “Yessir, I did.” I looked over at the young lady that sacked my groceries and I could read her body language and smirk and she could read mine… we both silently said, “Is he for real?”