I stopped by Kroger on the way back from my school, where I picked up the flash drive I had left in the back of the computer in my classroom and a laptop I checked out for use at an upcoming conference I’m attending. The woman behind me in line had a frightening countenance, garishly painted in the most unnatural hues. The John Cougar Mellencamp song “Jack and Diane” was playing over Kroger’s music system. She was singing along, and not quietly. I tried to ignore her, but it got to be too difficult. I noticed that she was purchasing a package of small/medium Depends in a bright pink plastic bag. If I was buying something like that, I’m not sure I’d be drawing attention to myself by singing really loudly along with the store music, but that’s just me. Then as the checker was processing her purchase, she started to put the Depends in a plastic grocery bag. The woman stopped her, saying she didn’t need a bag.
The incredulous clerk asked, just to be sure, “You don’t want a bag?” Let me finish her thought — you don’t mind carrying this big bag of adult diapers into the parking lot where everyone can see it?
The strange customer said, “No, it has handles on the top.”
Sure enough she carried the bag out into the parking lot, hopped into her car, and sped off.
Ha. Sometimes I wish I could be more like that woman, but I can't even buy toilet paper without having to buy loads of other things just to hide it. But then, it seems too intimate to know that this woman had to use adult diapers, and it's that intimacy that puts me off people, so … best cover the t.p. up, just to be safe!
I throw Nana's adult diapers up on top of the buggy. They're not for me, and I could care less who sees them. *shrug*
I check out your website every so often. I just do it to pass the time and to see what is up. My favorite posts are the ones about your life rather than the ones about books. Often I think that you care way too much about what other people think. This post proves that point. I am proud of the woman who wears what she wants and is not afraid of what people are thinking about what she is buying or singing. You should learn to be more comfortable in your own skin so that you don't care what people are thinking about you.
Lisa, I'm going to respectfully disagree with you. I think there is a fine line between not caring and broadcasting. If I was buying something like this, I would not be embarrassed, but I doubt I'd draw attention to the fact that I was doing so. This woman was screaming "look at me" in about 50 different ways that I didn't even get around to mentioning.
I do care what others think, and I don't think it's a bad trait to have. On many occasions, it has helped me make important decisions based on what's good for everyone. I don't think I take it so far that I have self-esteem issues, although I admit growing up, this was a problem. I do feel pretty comfortable in my own skin, and it kind of surprises me that I don't come off that way.
Depends, Poise Pads, adult diapers, whatever you want to call them, are a fact of life for many people. maybe she was buying them for her invalid parent, maybe she was buying them for her disabled sibling. Maybe instead of judging her for not caring if everyone knew she what she was carrying you AND the clerk should have praised her for thinking of the environment in some form by refusing the bag. I don't think it has anything to do with how YOU feel in your own skin, obviously she is comfortable in hers and thats nobodies business.
Edit: I apologized to Patti for an initially defensive and rude reply. It's not my style to be an ass.
However, I also don't think was really all that critical or mean in the post.