The Filter In My Head - written in early June 2009

Yesterday, after dropping my youngest daughter off at my school so she could work, and buying a piece of ceramics from the sale we were having in the school’s front yard, I attacked my “to do” list. The first stop was to go to the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) Store, the liquor store, and get four bottles of Fuzion, this most popular cheap new wine, a favorite on the local horizon. Even with all that activity I arrived a few minutes prior to their ten o’clock opening (on Saturday).


I had a few minutes to kill and I walked around the shopping center, went to the bank and finally, still not quite ten o’clock, I returned.


I saw a man approaching from my right, and I assumed we’d be in line for a minute or two. I thought I’d say something as we were both standing in line in front of a liquor store, waiting for it to open.


I figured I’d open with, “the first sign of alcoholism is finding yourself standing in front of a liquor store waiting for it to open!”, and I’d see where it went from there.


When we reached the front, before I opened my mouth, I looked at the man. He was skinny (I know compared to me most people are skinny), needed a shave, his fly was partially open and his hand was shaking as he lit his cigarette.


I rethought my opening move, and he said, “They always get an extra minute or two. My watch says they’re late”.


I smiled, looked at my watch, told him that they still had a few minutes, and went back to window shopping until they opened.


Sometimes, although not often, the filter in my head still works!