Setting the pace

I realised today that there's absolutely no point in getting stressed at supermarket checkouts because the people in front are slow in going through. In my normal shopping mode, when time has been tight,  I've treated it all in a very businesslike way, like how can I get through in the shortest time possible? So I've become accustomed to choosing a checkout where the people in the queue don't have trolleys groaning with shopping and if it's a supermarket I'm familiar with, choosing a checkout with an assistant who I know does the business smartly.  Today I thought I'd hit the jackpot, as the checkouts were all fairly quiet and I managed to find one with only one woman in front of me, with less than a dozen items in her basket. Well, she took ages, with the assistant and the customer having a long chat and then the woman forgetting her PIN number when she did get round to paying and getting in a fluster because none of the numbers she tried, reading them from a sheet of paper in her handbag, was the correct one. I'm ashamed to say that I showed my impatience, picking up my few items and moving to the next checkout along, clearly adding to the poor woman's confusion and distress. It served me right as well, because the woman at my second checkout then got in a mix-up with her shopping bags and it actually took me longer to get through that one than if I'd stuck with the original. It's not easy to break old and long established habits, and while it was natural and understandable to rush when I had stopped off on the way to an appointment or on my way to pick up the children from school, I really didn't need to rush today, and by chafing at the bit  I not only put pressure on the woman in front of me, but I stressed myself out too. So, that is something I will try to be mindful of and get out of the habit of unnecessary rushing. I know the day will come when I will be the customer in a muddle with my PIN, and will hope for more tolerance from others than I demonstrated today.

Talking of shopping, it's been interesting to walk past and then make use of some of the small independent shops in the town, rather than always gravitating to the supermarket. Despite the disappearance of so many specialist shops in town over the past 20 years, there are some good small local businesses that I want to support and get the benefit of. Walking past a small greengrocers yesterday, I noticed they were selling seville oranges, so bought enough to make a few jars of marmalade, a job for next week.

I really enjoyed going back to my workplace today to have lunch with three members of the team I used to work with; so good to catch up and share news with them. I was very interested in hearing all about new developments, changes etc, but already felt quite distanced from the actual work that used to be such a central part of my life, and realised how much less stressed I've been feeling since my retirement. It feels like it was the right decision to leave it behind for others to take it over, but I certainly do want to keep in touch with the people.