I love Wal-Mart. Yep, I said it. I love going there. There are few other places for better people-watching. Few other places where so many different species of us come together in one place.
Today’s trip to Wal-Mart was downright transcendental. I saw the van above in the parking lot on the way in to pick up some groceries and storage bins to finally pack up some of Anna’s clothes in my room and put them in storage. There was writing on the window, faded but still legible in grease marker (the same ones that normally say “Go Brandi! Take State This Year!” or “#43 Jake - Go Spartans”). This one just says “I Love Every One”. I saw the people get out and go into the store. I was jamming to some Billie Holiday on my portable and am not super-extroverted, so I had neither the courage nor the right rhythm today, but I wanted to look at them and say “Me too!” I did say “I like your slogan” when I saw them on the way out.
I spent the entire visit trying to make eye contact with every single stranger there. Man, woman, child. I mean, eyes are such a gift, aren’t they? When you look someone right in the eyes, you realize their eyeballs are never fat, old, droopy, the wrong color, too big, too small. I’m talking about just the eyeballs themselves. Eyeballs are basically like exposed parts of your brain sticking out of holes in your skull. So I looked at every stranger’s eyes. I made it a point not to avert my gaze. Saw myself. Few people made contact, but the ones that did were a delicious moment. Especially when it lingered just that tad bit long. A smile or two. It’s easy, at least in the right mood, to recognize the beauty in every person of every size and color and age, isn’t it? Especially when the universe reminds you, via grease marker on an aging Pontiac mini-van that you love every one.
Mardé
| 06-Aug-07 at 8:08 am | Permalink
What a beautiful post, Jase! This sentence in particular really gets to me: “Eyeballs are basically like exposed parts of your brain sticking out of holes in your skull.” What an amazing thought, metaphor, idea! It’s both funny and profound. Clearly, a great way to look inside the brains of others.
daisybones
| 06-Aug-07 at 8:29 am | Permalink
Cheap poorly made shit and questionable corporate ethics aside, you’re so right- it is an orgy of people-watchy goodness.
What a cool observation and action- meeting people’s gaze. It’s a freaking lost art! I always try to find people’s eyes and give a nod or smile but it’s rare that they make eye contact. Then I wonder if I’m creepy staring at people, waiting to smile at them. Sad world for that tiny connection to be so rare.
Cool sighting on the slogan. The bumper sticker that gets the most daisygrins is the one that says “God Bless EVERYBODY. No exceptions.”
Missy
| 06-Aug-07 at 8:38 am | Permalink
Great post–Billie Holiday? Mmmm, delish–makes me want to belt out “all of me.”
I was struck by the same line as Marde–what an image. Sometimes it makes me uncomfortable when someone tries to meet my gaze; as if they were looking at my soul; as if they could see something private I might not want them to see. Weird? Yeah, I guess so.
thordora
| 07-Aug-07 at 7:32 am | Permalink
OOOH! You’re listening to Belly! One of my most favorite bands EVAH! And one of my favorite albums evah! I never meet other people who like them!!!
I find people react a little differently to a woman meeting their eyes. I do what I can though.
The best piece of graffiti I ever left was simply “I love.” I loved the statement as a young girl, and I still do.
bine
| 07-Aug-07 at 1:40 pm | Permalink
love it. i do that eye contact thing a lot whenever i have a good day, because i want to share it. i also like to touch my friends a lot. it makes a huge difference.
Magdalena
| 13-Aug-07 at 4:04 pm | Permalink
Nothing like a little Wal-mart eyeball porn to make you feel happy and well, eh?
I avoid eye contact at all times, especially at establishments such as T double E. (The Evil Empire) People scare me. I seem to invite crazies into my space and eye contact is basically the equivalent to giving a serial killer the key to your apartment in my book. If I could wear horse blinders in public I think I would.
Now, at Wal-mart, it would be a race, head down, with my jacket collar up, to see how quickly I could get in and out with all of my merchandise without looking at anyone squarely in the eyes. Bonus points if I don’t have to talk to a cashier and can just throw my change over the counter. Triple bonus if they don’t tell me to have a nice day because that means I have done such an efficient job at putting out the “leave me alone” vibe that the Wal-mart employee feels that her superior shocking her with a cattle prod is a better option than speaking to me. Double triple quadruple bonus points if I leave so fast the greeter doesn’t have time to check my reciept or thank me for shopping there!
Missy
| 13-Aug-07 at 4:10 pm | Permalink
“I seem to invite crazies into my space and eye contact is basically the equivalent to giving a serial killer the key to your apartment in my book.” Bwahahaha, Mags, you totally crack me up.
I don’t shop at walmart–do they really check your reciept?