Daily Prompt: Witness Protection or how to survive without stress or an audience

Posted in Challenges by angloswiss

When you do something scary or stressful — bungee jumping, public speaking, etc. — do you prefer to be surrounded by friends or by strangers? Why?

Yellow Orchid

My first movement in the morning, getting out of bed is scary and stressful: first of all because I do not know if my body will make it. I have to think about it. I take a deep breath, sit on the side of the bed and when I realise that everything is functioning more or less as usual, I stand up. My first success of the day and for that action I prefer not to be surrounded by friends or by strangers, just I, me and myself. I then walk to the kitchen for my breakfast and if that task is accomplished, then I know that all is well. If I meet Mr. Swiss in the kitchen, I know he has also made it.

The day continues and if everything runs its normal pattern, then I need no protection, I can do it all on my own. Generally it is the others that may need protection. I will be driving the car and I hope that all pedestrians see me coming and move on one side and that the other cars on the road keep at a safe distance, what could possibly go wrong.

This morning in the supermarket, the assistant serving me in the flower department was running a very high risk of being shouted at in a loud voice (me) and almost losing her job, but it was just a chain of unhappy events. I told Mr. Swiss to wait in the car as I had a few things to shop for the garden. He was not unhappy, he could make his way on his own to the car (loaded with shopping) without having to ensure that no accidents happened to me on the way.

I decided to buy some seeds for my herb garden, dill for the cucumbers and savoury for the beans, no big problem, and I have never read a report in the newspaper that this was a death defying experience. After I found my seeds I made another discovery. I have a small collection of orchids at home, but unfortunately there is only one flowering. The others have green leaves and are not yet ready to do me the favour entering for the Pulitzer prize for the best and most beautiful orchids. I know Pulitzer does not do flowers, but you never know, it would be a good idea.

I saw that the flower department had a special sort of orchid at a good price – see photo – which would be something completely different in my collection. I arrived at the desk and the young lady who was serving, was on the telephone. I know from my working experience, that this can happen and you cannot drop the telephone just to accommodate someone with two packets of seeds and an orchid (it was now two orchids as I found another bargain in full flower). She was still on the telephone, discussing some sort of garden shed and flipping through a catalogue, when two other customers arrived. Also golden oldies, so we were now three in the queue. I managed to catch the assistant’s eye, but she ignored me and continued with her conversation. She was now at the part where she was reciting a web site address. I decided this was positive, the customer on the phone could now talk to his computer and the conversation would be finalised. This was not the case and there was just silence from the assistant, still holding the telephone, whilst her customer was discovering the wonders of googling probably.

I then gave her another poisonous glare and it must have registered as she began to multi task. With the telephone in her hand she signalled that I should move the goods I want to buy next to the bar code special supermarket card reading machine and she began to type my articles. The people waiting behind me in the queue all seemed to breathe a sigh of relief in chorus and I began to pack my goods in the various plastic bags. The young lady was still on the telephone, but not my problem. She was now busy with the other waiting customers.

Then my iPhone began to ring I was confronted with a picture of Mr. Swiss on the phone. Another death defying action was required, so I pressed the button to take the call, but it was the wrong button and I lost him. I decided to put a brave face on the problem, and walked towards the parking place where I was confronted by a worried Mr. Swiss. I eventually arrived at the car and noticed a man dressed in an official type of dress, checking all the parking place numbers and writing little tickets, which he was distributing amongst the various cars. I was sitting in the car when he approached place No. 516 (that was our parking place). He had a mobile telephone and was reading the numbers out to an office somewhere in the vaults of the car park. We paid for an hour parking, but thanks to the young lady in the garden department, the hour was probably now ninety minutes. He cast me a glance, but walked on: another scary and stressful moment.

Eventually Mr. Swiss and I escaped with two orchids, two packets of seeds, a few bags filled with food and a lively conversation in the car revolving around the shop assistant and the near miss on the parking lot. The conclusion is that you do not need bungy jumps, or public speaking, daily life is full of risks without having an audience to clap.

Daily Prompt: Witness Protection or how to survive without stress or an audience

21 thoughts on “Daily Prompt: Witness Protection or how to survive without stress or an audience”

Katherine Gordy Levine

07/05/2014 at 17:30

Loved the picture and the post. Pinned the picture to my Be With Beauty Board. It will link back to my twitter and facebook pages. Here is the pin. http://www.pinterest.com/pin/147141112800289522/

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- angloswiss
  
  07/05/2014 at 18:15
  
  Thank you so much, I am honoured. I am not (yet?) in pinterest,
  
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Marilyn Armstrong

07/05/2014 at 17:32

Sounds like home to me 🙂

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Katherine Gordy Levine

07/05/2014 at 17:35

Then I pinned your picture to my Aging Is Not For Sissies Board. http://www.pinterest.com/pin/147141112800289563/ Well done.

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- angloswiss
  
  07/05/2014 at 19:01
  
  LOL, although do not know whether to cry or laugh at that one.
  
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ranu802

07/05/2014 at 17:50

I thought the cashiers are not supposed to keep the customers waiting to get checked out. I guess the Swiss have a different set of rules.

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- angloswiss
  
  07/05/2014 at 18:17
  
  This is a different department. It is not the cash desk where there is a band to put the stuff on. It is more individual sales, as it is the gardening place and works differently. Usually they have two girls working on it, but this morning there was only one.
  
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Henrietta Choplin

07/05/2014 at 18:23

I must tell you that you had me laughing out loud, with only my puppies to hear me… (I Love seeing the humorous side to life 🙂 !! ) Thank you!!

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- angloswiss
  
  07/05/2014 at 19:05
  
  Your welcome, Tomorrow is a safe day, I will be at home cleaning the kitchen, although I have to climb a ladder – now that could be a bit dodgy.
  
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  - Henrietta Choplin
    
    07/05/2014 at 19:13
    
    Oh, relief, please stay safe ❤ !!
    
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silentlyheardonce

07/05/2014 at 18:34

I can certainly relate to that morning routine. 😆

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- angloswiss
  
  07/05/2014 at 19:01
  
  Problem being that it is a routine, but as I said it can only get better – I hope
  
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  - silentlyheardonce
    
    07/05/2014 at 19:03
    
    I know. I have the same issues when I have to wake in the middle of the night to make a bathroom trip.
    
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    - angloswiss
      
      07/05/2014 at 19:08
      
      Yesss – it is not a long walk, but something like the Green Mile if you have read the book.
      
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      - silentlyheardonce
        
        07/05/2014 at 19:10
        
        My hike isn’t far either but the energy is much too much early in the morning.
        
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Olga Brajnović

07/05/2014 at 19:19

I completely agree with your conclusion.

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- angloswiss
  
  07/05/2014 at 19:35
  
  At the end of every day I am glad I survived.
  
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thejeremynix

08/05/2014 at 00:01

I enjoyed your post! The other day I had my daughter at the mall for some indoor play as the weather was nasty outside. At some point, the security guard came through and kicked us all out so they could clean the place. I took Penny (my daughter) to the toy store, and she talked me into getting her a couple of little toys. When we arrived at the counter to pay for them, the woman behind the counter was scanning a large stack of receipts. Instead of putting them aside for a moment, she completely ignored us as we stood right in front of her face. My daughter broke the silence by saying “Excuse Me,” to which the woman’s response was to barely glance up and mumble “just a moment,” Penny just recently turned four years old, and here she was displaying far more manners than this toy store employee whose job is supposed to be customer service oriented. In the end, it was an extra ten minutes out of my day, but at the time it felt like an eternity. It took everything I had to keep calm and let it go. It takes all kinds I guess. Thanks for the great post!

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- angloswiss
  
  08/05/2014 at 07:54
  
  Good for your daughter. It is the waste of time that annoys me most of all. Even Mr. Swiss sent out a search message by phone as he thought I had had one of my famous accidents.
  
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