Reprise: Ode to FM Sunday Mornings
November 16, 2009 — connections, life lessons, Storytelling, Writing
A year ago this month, my honey and I left Seattle (my home of nearly 13 years) to move to Denver. Among the memories and friends we left behind was Allyson, who we met during our weekly grocery shopping trips. We had not heard from Allyson since the move—not even after the blog post I wrote last year—and I wasn’t sure how to contact her. Then, yesterday, I got a deliciously detailed message from her, telling me about her adventures and her own move to another state (which isn’t too far from Colorado).
To celebrate re-connecting with Allyson, I’m re-running my original post here. We connected through storytelling and I know that bond will grow through new adventures and tales shared.
The Original
As a copywriter of more than 12 years, I’ve inked hundreds of thousands of words about connecting with people, from customers to fellow employees. So how is it that such a strong bond with someone I saw only at Fred Meyer snuck up on me?
After much experimenting and a few disastrous trips, we found early Sunday mornings to be the most peaceful shopping time at our favorite Fred Meyer in Seattle. Yes, we were usually surrounded by members of the AARP, but the fact that we run with an older crowd is a story for another time.
I don’t remember the first time my honey KF and I were in Allyson’s checkout line. It was at least more than a year ago. I do recall that we realized that we had Colorado in common: Allyson lived out her Mary Tyler Moore experience in downtown Denver and I spent four years at Colorado College. From that conversation, Allyson became a regular – and important – part of our Sunday mornings.
Although it wasn’t on our grocery list, we listened for Allyson’s distinctive laugh with each trip to Fred Meyer. She was always quick with a story and I especially loved her tales of her long-time relationship with her short story editor. Shortly after we met Allyson, she asked us if we had a Christmas tree and when we nodded, she pulled a hand-made crocheted angel from her apron pocket.
If we missed a few Sunday mornings, Allyson was quick to tell us, “You’re not where you’re supposed to be.” Of course, we also took great delight in showing up in Allyson’s line on a random Saturday and sneaking up on her with a loud “Hi, Allyson!”
Over time, she shared that she never expected her Fred Meyer job to mean that she would become part of someone’s routine. Yet, she did and Allyson found herself looking for her regulars with each shift. She said that she especially looked for her older customers and shared the heartbreaking experience of a family member coming to tell her that a regular had passed away.
After we made the decision to move to Denver, we put Allyson on our “good-bye” list. When we broke the moving news to her, we set a final Sunday date, knowing that would be the last time we’d go through her line as regulars. Allyson told us she’d “be prepared.”
On that last Sunday, in a teary farewell, Allyson pulled a hand-made crocheted angel from her pocket. She’d moved up production to make sure she had one ready for us. Now we’ll have two on the tree – and think of Allyson every time we see them.
We miss you, Allyson!
