Olwyn resolved to be nice as pie. He is from Canada, and today is Canadian Thanksgiving.
What he would do to celebrate would simply be thankful to everyone. “Thank you” he would say to every deed, even unkindly deeds. Thank you to the lady at the service station. Thank you at the checkout at the supermarket. Thank you! Thank you!
He would do his thank yous quietly of course. No fuss but humbly. What a lovely way to celebrate! Too often he was harsh and rude and embittered and grouchy. Today things would change. It was going to be a blessed day.
Thank you to the person who gentle maneuvered their supermarket trolley to make room for him in the aisle. Yes! They answered thank you as well. How glorious to be nice. He had almost forgotten the joy of kindness. Thank you! Thank you! O happy day! O day of thanksgiving!
Here comes another person wheeling their grocery trolley up the aisle now.
“Watch where you’re going, you dummy,” she said.
“You talking to me?” said Olwyn. “If you weren’t so fucking fat there’d be room for a couple of elephants in the aisle. Bitch!”
People are all the same. Everywhere. All over the world.
Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends!