You never know what treasure a boy may bring home from his travels. Last spring my boys and I took a bike ride and stopped at a creek the flowed under the road through a tunnel. We climbed down the steep slope and and began exploring the tunnel.
And that's when we saw it -- a treasure! Forgotten. Abandoned. Alone in the muddy shallow stream, tipped over on its side. But never fear, it was alone no longer. My son could not resist this treasure. What was it? A Walmart shopping cart.
So there was my son rocking it violently back and forth, trying to get it upright so he could push it through the tunnel, up the steep bank and home. To my home! Why do I want a shopping cart. I don't.
So he's rocking it back and forth, but can't seem to get it up. And there begins my first mistake... I helped him. Then he started pushing it through the tunnel and up the bank. He was trying so hard. He wanted so much for this treasure to be his. I guess that's what made me have compassion on him. That's what made me grab the front of the cart and slowly creep backwards up the bank, bent over, lifting and pulling a cart behind me. We pushed past the branches at the top of the bank -- our prize finally on the sidewalk.
Now remember we rode our bikes to this stream, and it was probably over a mile from home. How would we get the shopping cart and all the bikes home? He tried attaching it to his bike and pulling it like a trailer. Seemed like a good idea, but maybe what we used for connecting our trailer was the problem, because it just wasn't working. Eventually he ended up putting his bike inside the cart and pushing the cart home. Did he get the bike in by himself? Admittedly, I think I might have helped him.
So we began the mile trip home pushing a shopping cart. It's amusing the looks you get when you are pushing a shopping cart, with a bike inside, down a busy street. At the same time I am surprised at how many people didn't stare or didn't even look. It was a little embarrassing, but at the same time really kind of funny. He wanted that cart so badly.
We arrived home with the cart, and there it sat. As I think back I cannot remember too many times that they actually played with it. Although they did use it to store their outside toys. Spring passed and summer was passing quickly. I decided it was time to return the cart.
Now remember this cart had been tipped over on its side in a muddy stream, so it was dirty and covered on one side with sticky slime.
I wheeled it out front and started to scrub. It was hard work! That slime was stuck! Then I remembered that my sister had said that toilet bowl cleaner was the strongest chemical she knew of and it could clean off practically anything. So yes, I got out the toilet bowl cleaner, and it really worked! I thought about the wisdom of this decision. Would it be smart to put food in a cart that had been cleaned with a harmful chemical? Hmmm....probably not... but the cart sure looked good. A word of warning, if you are at Walmart, do not choose the cleanest cart.
Finally it was done and it was time to push the cart the quarter mile to Walmart.
Now this sight also brought stares. There I was pushing a shopping cart that was carrying a stroller for the return trip, plus a child, with three boys on roller-blades in front of me. If that wasn't enough, I was very round with pregnancy. Waddle, waddle, here we come. I noticed the stares. No, I am not really homeless, with four children. We made it to Walmart and said good bye to our cart.
So I realize as I think back that if it weren't for me, that cart would probably still be in the ditch. If it weren't for me, he never would have gotten it up the steep bank. Did I allow him to push this treasure home? Yes, the shopping cart was mine. I am the crazy woman who rescued a shopping cart. I am the one who scrubbed it, and made it shiny again. I am the one who pushed it back to Walmart. I am the crazy one.
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