As a writer you know that sometimes you don’t find stories; they find you. And sometimes they find you in the most unlikely places.

Take Crosby’s, for instance, the only true grocery store in the town of Concord, Mass. In the age of the all-in-one supermarket, Crosby’s has a throwback feel to it where you can find just about every item you need and not have to worry about getting lost in a cavernous aisle. Quality is good and prices are reasonable. And stories are to be had.

On a recent day I was on my way to the carrots and celery section when a voice warned me to watch out! It was firm, assertive, and I guessed its owner to be perhaps of high school age, in a hurry to get somewhere and unconcerned about anything in his path. When I turned I encountered a lad of about 5, faux shopping cart in tow. Next time, Milo, just say excuse me, encourages his mom, as she gives me a look of wonder (disdain?) about why I’m not smiling at her little bundle of joy.

Moments later, there’s a woman in her early 80s trying to nudge a box of dried prunes off a shelf that stands about seven-and-a-half feet off the floor. She stands about 5’2”. She’s using a cane and not having much luck, and from a short distance away I’m considering the consequences if she happened to be successful. I walked over, took one of the boxes down and handed it to her. She smiled, said thank you and was on her way. Maybe, I’m thinking, Milo will mellow with age. And just maybe, I might too.

Upon emerging from the store, I encountered a group of Boy Scouts and their dads set up for a fundraising event. There’s no easy avenue of escape, and before the flashback memory of my Boy Scout days had ended, I found myself in front of a table piled high with bags of assorted popcorn. I asked how much, and a young voice enthusiastically replied $15. Somewhat less enthusiastically, I reached into my wallet, handed him a twenty and walked off. Boy, this had better be good, I thought.

On the back of the bag of the world’s most expensive popcorn, it says that a scout is: friendly, courteous, kind, cheerful, obedient and reverent, among other attributes.  Hmmm…maybe I should give this popcorn to Milo.