here goes nothing

To start things off, I figured I would share all the recent stupid comments that gave me the idea to start documenting them. They are as follows:

While at the checkout in our local Shopko, the cashier looks at me with a sheepish smile then turns to my mom and asks: "Does she have cancer?" I could tell my mom was just as upset as I was. Not because of the question asked, but because I was standing right next to her: obviously in hearing range. Yet the cashier insisted upon asking my mother her question, as if the mask I was wearing meant that I couldn't hear or speak. My mom hesitantly answered "yes," and glanced over to gauge my reaction. I looked at a magazine to keep calm, while the girl continued to ring up my mom's items, and ask questions--about me. Finally, the girl asked my mom how long I'd had the cancer. I looked up at her, glaring. Embarrassed, she paused for a second, then cautiously redirected her question to me. Seriously, does it just not click that a face mask isn't an ear plug??

While in Bath and Body Works, a small boy looked up at me and politely asked, "why do you have that thing on your face?" To which I happily replied, "It protects me so that I don't get sick." He smiled, and said "oh, ok!" I went back to looking at whatever it was I was interested in only to have an older lady stop me and say, "leave it to a kid, right? to say something stupid" I bit my tongue, but instantly raged in my mind "No, leave it to the adults to do that, the kids are just fine." I mean, they're just kids, they're curious. It's not like they see someone wearing a mask everyday. They don't understand, why deprive them of the knowledge? why not teach them in terms they can understand so that they don't grow up to be ignorant, rude adults?

At the checkout line in out local Wal-Mart, I couldn't help but overhear a mother tell her son (in answer to an inaudible question) "Well, it looks like they have cancer, and they probably don't have much time left to live." Now, I'm not positive that this was intended to describe me, but that was the feel I got. Still, who are you to tell your child someone is dying, when you have no clue what that person is going through? I happen to have plenty of time left to live, and I definitely don't plan on keeling over anytime soon. Unfortunately, that child will automatically attribute a face mask to death from now on-- good one, Mom!

And last, but definitely not least: Once again at Wal-mart (I should just not go there, right?). My mom and I were done paying for our purchases when an acquaintance of hers from work (she does a form of hospice care) stopped her to ask to say "on duty today, huh?" to which she held back her obvious agitation and politely replied, " no, this is my daughter," and they proceeded into conversation while I talked to a friend of mine working at a different register. We caught back up to each other, and while walking out the door, my mom spouts "you wouldn't BELIEVE what he just said!"
"What did he say?"
"He had the gal to ask me, 'now is the mask for Her benefit, or Our benefit?'" Come here, buddy, let me breathe on ya! Sheesh! How stupid can you get? Really, where do you come up with this crap?