Kindness, in bulk

So, if you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you probably know that I shop at BJs.  A LOT.  And you might just kind of wonder why.  I mean, we are not a large family and it's not terribly convenient to our house.

Well, the main reason is Ian.

Ian is comfortable at BJs.  We have a routine.  We chat on the ride over and on the ride home.  It helps him practice his social skills when we say hi to other customers and the employees.  He likes to look at all the different products, carry around his list, and throw items into the cart.  And I do mean throw!  (We don't buy eggs at BJs!)  Sometimes he'll push the cart and help me unload it at checkout.  (Did I mention the eggs?) And today he even helped me reload the cart. (Think I'm taking bread off the BJs list.)

Checking out some books

BJs is his comfort zone in the world of shopping.

Today we had three very nice moments.

1.  At the very front of the store, I asked Ian to pick up a coupon sheet.  There was a woman who was doing the same thing.  Well, instead of going over to the stand himself, he started for the woman since she was holding one.  She very sweetly gave it to him without missing a beat and gave me a great smile that told me she understood.  I wanted to hug her but I just thanked her instead.

2.  I stopped for a sample of popcorn and decided to buy it.  At this point Ian had his iPad AND a new Thomas the Train book in his grasp and was super excited about it all, and that was leading to some very "busy" behavior.   The kind lady who was giving out the samples smiled and said, "It's so great how he loves books."  It was so sweet and genuine, I wanted to hug her.

Ian picked out a big book of Thomas stories for his treat today

3.  As we left the store, the employee checking the cart and receipt was super nice.   Sometimes she seems kind of grumpy, but I think she finally understands that when I ask Ian to give her the receipt it's to work on his people skills.  Today she gave him a big smile and thank you.  And yes, I wanted to hug her too!

Had a hard time getting a good pic but this is when we were leaving BJs

So, we will continue shopping at BJs and I'll keep taking pictures when we do.  This is a part of Ian's life too and I don't want to forget our happy moments doing ordinary things.