I just dragged all my grumpiness and anxiety to my neighborhood Aldi and, as I was walking toward the store, I heard that grandmotherly call that only women of a certain age can deliver.

"You need a cart, baby?"

I turned around and there walking toward me was that certain older Black grandma with the short, silver hair wearing a gigantic fake fur coat, sparkly rings on each finger and thigh high leather boots.

She was only a few inches taller than the cart itself.

I hollered back that I did, in fact, need a cart and I went into my pocket and walked toward her holding aloft an Aldi quarter to indicate that I fully intended to pay her. And, when the handoff went down, she waved my hand away.

"I don't need no quarter, baby."

I thanked her. She had a nice smile. The wind whipped at her fur coat as she walked away.

When I got inside, I stopped in front of the cookies because god dammit I need a cookie and I was mulling over which cookies to get when I heard a different kind of voice coming from below. That high-pitched, almost squeezable voice that only little children can deliver.

"Which ones is the best cookieth?"

And I looked down and there was an adorable child standing there with his thumb in his mouth asking me which cookies to get. He trusted me for some reason. Apparently, his mom, who was standing just a few feet away, was allowing him to choose. I told him I liked the chocolate chunk.

"Are they good?"

"Yes they are."

So he choose the chocolate chunk and skipped over to his mother with them and a grin spread over my face that I couldn't fight back.

Then, while perusing the aisles, I saw a familiar face. One I haven't seen for a very long time. But I wasn't sure it was who I thought it was. So, I tried to catch her eye and, sure enough, it was my friend from grad school newly back in town.

She hugged me up and we basked in each other's company before we had to move on making plans to get together soon.

Sometimes, all it takes is just to step outside for a minute.

On my way out, a woman was coming in and I hoped that her trip inside the Aldi would be as mood lifting as mine was. So, I stopped in front of her and smiled.

"Hi. You need a shopping cart?”