Thankful Thursday - Blogging (talking without forcing anyone to listen)

Yesterday I was out shopping with Pumpkin after we dropped Peanut off at school.   We walked into JCPenney just to browse since I had a coupon for $10 off a purchase of $10 or more.  As we were looking at jeans for Doc, I heard an older man say hello to another older woman in the store.  Here's how their conversation went -

Man - Hello.
Woman - Hello.  How are you today?
Man - I woke up this morning.
Woman - Well, that is a good way to start the day.
Man - Yes, I suppose it is.  Can I ask you a question?
Woman - You may.
Man - If a woman is shopping by herself and a man approaches her to ask her a question, is she still alone?

Okay, by this point I was more than a little creeped out.  I don't know if it was the tone of his voice or the fact that he kept walking toward the woman who was obviously just trying to be polite.  Either way, I had taken Pumpkin by the hand and was walking quickly between the clothes racks to a location where I could no longer see or hear the conversation taking place.   As I made my way across the store, I passed a JCPenney employee.  She greeted me as she passed by with a cart of clothes that presumably needed to go out on the racks.  She also greeted another older woman.  Here's how their conversation went -

JCP - How are you this morning?
Woman - Good.  At least I'm better than yesterday.  Yesterday I had a migraine.  All day.  I just couldn't get rid of it.  I'm not feeling great today, but definitely better than that.
JCP - Oh.  I'm glad you're feeling better today.
Woman - I am.  Still not great though.  I'm tired.  Migraines always make me tired.

Honestly, when people that you don't know ask you how you are, they generally don't really want to know.  They are just making small talk.  They are issuing a basic greeting.  We must all try to remember that.  In all fairness, I am a talker.  I blame it entirely on my father.  I sometimes catch myself explaining myself to people that probably could not care less.  I'm sure the waitress doesn't care why I'm ordering one entree over another.  Nor is she concerned that the reason I'm in such a hurry for the bill is that I have to be at a concert in 1/2 hour, for my daughter, who is in the first grade,  and happens to like the color purple, which is fortunate since that is the color of her costume . . .

See, if left to my own devices I would most definitely become one of those people that talks incessantly to anyone that will listen.  Fortunately, I have blogging.  Blogging is a way for me to talk, ramble and rant without forcing anyone to be polite and listen.