We know human beings are capable of some incredible feats.

There are those capable of fantastic achievements in athletics.

There are a select few that make astounding discoveries in science and medicine.

There are individuals capable of beautiful and imaginative writing.

There are people who achieve awe through art and music.

There are even people that act compassionately, generously, and considerately, to such amazing degrees that a sense of admiration wells up inside of us.

We hear about these amazing acts, and witness them on television, and online. But rarely, do we have an opportunity to witness astounding acts first hand. When something extraordinary occurs in front of us, we can scarce believe it real.

With an armful of supplies, rather, both arms full of supplies, I stood in line at a gigantic home improvement store. The patron in front of me twitched, fidgeted, and switched his attention from the female cashier handling the next lane, to the two people in front of him, to the phone in his hand, to the cold beverage case nearby. Each transition, fractions of a second from the last.  The cycle repeated until a transaction concluded, and he, shuffled forward to place himself immediately to the right of the beverage case.  He placed the phone into a pocket, and then retrieved a vape from another pocket. Despite the shifty behavior, I assume he believed himself  furtive, though I, being directly behind him, had a clear view of all actions.

Having worked in retail, I am aware that most establishments have rules against smoking indoors, these rules usually prohibit electronic cigarettes, or vapes, as well. Not being in a remotely concealed area, but rather, in the checkout line, it was to my shock, that the twitchy individual in front of me took several deep puffs from his vaping device. In the space of the next few seconds, admittedly my curiosity was piqued for his next move.

Would he, in defiance, or ignorant of rules and social norms, just blow a cloud into the air?

Would he let the smoke seep out slowly from his mouth?

Perhaps he would just hold it in, until he finished checking out? After all, the door was only about ten feet after checkout. (I suppose he couldn’t wait until he was outside to smoke.)

But what actually happened, is the type of thing that you hear about, or see on tv, or watch online.  It’s the type of action that makes you pause, and say, “Is this really happening?”

He pursued one more preposterous cycle of shifting attention, and then paused while looking at the cold beverage case. He grabbed the sliding door on the left, and pulled it open toward the cash register to his right.

Then, he placed his face near the plastic bottles, and blew the smoke from his mouth into the cooler. Promptly, he slid the door shut, trapping the swirling smoke inside.

With unexpected calm, he stared at the foggy wisps spinning against the glass. After about thirty seconds, He took another look around, and then proceeded to take several more hefty drags from his vape.  He then repeated the same process. He opened the door, exhaled a massive cloud into the cooler, and promptly shut the door.

I scanned the immediate area, looking to catch the eye of anyone who might have witnessed the scene. I looked for a raised eyebrow, or a disapproving frown.  I looked for a staff member to stroll over and reprimand this strange man. I wondered for a split second, if what I had just seen, could have actually occurred.  But it clearly had, twice.

After some additional scuffling, twitchiness, and a few other weird gesticulations and utterances, he finished his purchase, and exited the store. His behavior left me challenged when presenting payment for my purchases, as I was still dumbfounded by what I had witnessed.  Quickly I shook that off to complete my transaction. But the experience lingered in my mind.

What I saw wasn’t something that one witnessed everyday. That scene didn’t play out often. The act that I was privileged to first-hand. was not remotely common.

Like the feats that people hear about, or read about, or even view on tv or online, I had experienced something amazing, in the flesh.

If only I have the quickness, and gumption, to take my phone, and subtlety record this scene, the video would punctuate the wonder in this persons actions.

Instead, please sincerely consider my words, this scene was beyond that of human norms.

It was incredible.

Humbly yours,

J