Post Title: Finding God in the Easy Places, Part 2

A Typical Day at Work

One of our cashiers had to leave early so they asked me to finish his shift. Extra hours here and there made me happy. Since I had a lull in customers, I switched off my light and left my register. I needed to contact my neighbors who drove me to and from work about the change. My cell phone was in my locker at the breakroom. With that small task squared away, I swiftly headed back to my register.

On the way back, I hit a snare … well, I hit something anyway. Not sure what. That changed the course of my evening.

At the Scene

“Amy … dear God, she’s bleeding!”

Hands reached for me. I could hear voices, but they seemed far away.

“Let’s sit her up.”

“This is really bad!”

The panic in their voices didn’t faze me. I wondered who they were talking about.

“Let’s get her to Customer Service.”

I felt hands picking me up from each side. Together we walked to the front of the store. Someone sat me a chair.

Outside Customer Service

“Hi Amy. I’m Lori from the pharmacy—the designated first responder.

“What—what happened?”

Someone else said, “You ran into a rack.”

I remembered cutting across an aisle. Displays and such had been shifted to make room for our newest product. I probably didn’t expect a store rack there so I didn’t ‘see’ it. The mental picture in my mind didn’t always match the physical reality.

Lori tore a section off from the store’s generic paper towel roll. “First things first. Let’s get that bleeding stopped.” She pressed the paper to my head. A couple of minutes later she repeated the process. “Are you on blood thinners?”

I shook my head.

Someone said, “These stupid paper towels. They never absorb much.”

I quipped, “That’s because you need the quicker-picker-upper!” and named the leading brand of paper towels. At their smiles, I took back control of the situation. “Look. I’m doing fine. I just want to get back to my register. “

The second-shift manager, who had been called to the scene, diplomatically said, “That’s an admirable work ethic. Unfortunately, we can’t let you do that.”

“But I’m used to these things. I’m like a bumper car and bounce off everything.”

“I’m afraid you did more than bounce off that rack. It impaled you,” he said dramatically.  “That’s a pretty deep cut. It’ll need stitches, I imagine.”

“Really? I haven’t had stitches since I was in fifth grade.” I made it sound ridiculous. Even at age eleven, I poo–pooed the idea. It must be my modus-operandi.

 The Paramedics Arrive

“Hi! I’m with the ambulance.”

A new voice.  Another stranger.

The woman turned to the pharmacist and had a quick discussion, probably about my faucet of blood. Then she asked me a number of silly questions.

What year was it? What was today’s day and date? Who was the president?

That last question threw me. “Ah … Sleepy Joe? You know. The … older guy.”

My responses must have satisfied her because she changed tactics. She and the other paramedic, who I now saw, discussed my wound.  The bleeding had stopped. How wide was five millimeters?

image with Bible on table with text that reads: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Who is Annie?

The store manager interrupted my thoughts. “Annie, Annie, do you have a cell phone?”

Does he mean me? I giggled. Apparently, he didn’t know my name. He was no better at looking at name tags than I was. But at least I could blame it on being legally blind.

He made a face. “Then it’s probably locked.”

“No, I never lock it.” Thank you, Amy, for revealing your lack of security to everyone on the premises.

Another Colleague Shows Up

Just then a parking lot cart employee stopped to inspect me.. Joe was a favorite of mine, a real sports fan.

“Ya’ look like one of those female wrestlers.” He threw a few punches into the air. “The old one-two.” He grinned with mischief.

I smiled. “Sometimes those punches come from out of nowhere!”

The manager directed someone to retrieve Annie’s purse and cell phone. The use of the incorrect name tickled me all over again. I had recovered my sense of humor.

But that was short-lived. The ambulance driver wanted to strap me down on the gurney and take me to the ER.</td.

Nothing doing. I was perfectly fine and told him so. Did he not see all the customers gawking at me or how embarrassed I was?

“You might feel perfectly fine now. But it’s much easier to file a Workman’s Comp claim if you go to the ER,” he pointed out.

Got me there. But I still wasn’t ready to give in.

“What about EmergiCare after my shift?” I suggested.

“Not gonna happen,” the manager said firmly in reference to my working.

In the end, the driver called my neighbor, and they agreed I should go to the ER.“Okay,” I grumbled. “I’ll go.”

As the stretcher slowly passed through the front end of the store, I waved goodbye to all adoring fans. I hoped I had the royal wave down.

I didn’t know how or when, but God promises to bring something good from all our follies. In my case, my fall-ies!

As I lay on the ambulance pillow, I thought Okay, God, I’m trusting you. You’ve carried me through much worse. I’m turning this situation over to you. Let’s see how you bring about something good.

You have just read “Reaching for God in the Easy Places, Part 2” by Amy L. Bovaird. © August 30, 2023. All rights reserved.