Mall Sitter

Come, walk with me and allow me to share some of my most recent ponderings........In years past, I have had the good fortune to spend a good part of my time as a Mall Sitter.  That is what I did whenever I was invited to accompany my daughter and granddaughters on a shopping expedition.  There was a time ( some years ago) when I could maintain my stamina and keep up with their pace as we wandered in and out of ALL the stores in the Mall.

I especially remember the times when they were young teenagers and how they were attracted to those stores with the loudest music that was also very fast-paced.  We would move from store to store and even though the music might have been different it was still loud and fast......never any soothing music as to the kind I refer to as elevator music. I suppose the music had to be loud and fast to keep the teens hopping among the various stores.

Those stores were all alike. They were jammed with clothes that were arranged in such a way that one had to be a shopping sleuth to find their way among the maze.  I believe you could have left a child in there for a week before someone found them!  It was after several years of this, when I discovered the various benches and chairs that were scattered along the walkways of the Mall.

It did not take long for me to become accustomed to this new method of shopping with them.  I would leave them in the store after announcing that I could be reached outside the store in the comfort zone, comfortably seated on a bench or chair. I had learned to text and receive text messages so we could stay in touch with each other.  This was important because I was usually notified by text when they had gathered the articles to be purchased.  I did not worry about losing them because I was the keeper of the money........Mine.....soon to be theirs.

I did not waste the hours as I sat on the Mall bench while they shopped because I had learned to use my time wisely.  I had learned to become a Mall Watcher, which can be an educational experience in itself.  One thing I learned is that a person's gait belongs to the age one is in.  For example:  children do not walk....they jump, skip or run.  They are always moving forward or side to side and they move quickly.  If they happen to be in a stroller, they want out and they let everyone within hearing distance know it!

Next there were the teens. They were everywhere!  They were easy to spot because they had cloned themselves in the way they wore their hair and dress.  Teens try very hard to look like all the other teens and not at all like anyone over the age of eighteen.  Most of the teen shoppers were girls and they always came in pairs, holding onto each other and walking very slowly.  After all, they had all the time in the world!

Next were the parents. The mothers looked tired, they never smiled. They were also carrying all the shopping bags along with either a diaper bag or very large and heavy purse. They walked as though they were going to the gallows.  They were too busy trying to quiet the toddler or hang onto another child. The fathers would usually saunter alongside or behind as though they had not a care in the world.

Finally.........my category.........the seniors.  Some would waddle as they walked with weight-bearing more side to side than forward.  Canes or walkers were an extension of their anatomy.  From time to time they would stop and look all around.  I knew what they were looking for, and it was not for a particular store.  They were busy looking for an empty bench or chair so they could join the other Mall sitters for a while

My granddaughters are now adults and invitations to Mall- shop have slowly deminished to my gift of a gift card to their favorite store or one carried over from birthday or Christmas.  Unfortunately those days have been replaced with appointments for me for my physical tune-ups to just keep me on my feet!

None-the-Less, the memories are pleasant and rewarding, even though my body is not.................................

Oh, the pondering of it all...............see you next time.  Enjoyed the walk......................................