Whew

Sometimes you just know someone is having a worse day than you are. And sometimes you know people have Chaos as a permanent houseguest, even when you're not acquainted with them. It just speaks for itself.

I was walking across a parking lot when something caught my ear. It was a lovely combination of sounds, and I followed the cacophony to its source.

Green minivan, about 100 feet over. I see a man and woman with a full shopping cart, and full hands. Dog barking furiously from inside the van, little girl screaming and chasing a little boy around the van. Father opens the rear hatch. Next thing Mom is chasing papers that have caught in the wind. Father is yelling at kids, and trying to transfer the goods from the shopping cart. Dog continues to bark, Father corrals kids who get into van. Sounds of continued kid-arguments from within. Mother still chasing one sheet of paper that continues to evade. He's now trying to rearrange van contents, soccer chair, cooler, large blanket. It's just awful.

Civic-minded Stupid wants to help; Compassionate Stupid knows not to, no sense making things worse.

Suddenly, food-shopping didn't seem so bad.