100 Word Challenge: Reality

I keep a box of sterile, disposable gloves in my kitchen. I hate handling raw meat, or smelly stuff (read: onions and the Stilton blue cheese I get for my son.) I wear gloves, a lot – easy on, easy off.

Because I use so many of them, I have to replace them on the regular. The other day I was at the neighborhood grocery store stocking up on essentials and a new box of gloves.

I should remember to take my reusable, cloth totes to cut down on how many plastic bags I haul home, but I’m not that organized. Still, I will tell the bagger not to put milk or OJ in a separate bag, and I’m not a stickler on mixing items.

While bagging my items, the cashier asked if it was okay to add my box of gloves to a bag that included food items – canned goods, jars, stuff like that. I think the actual words she used were, “would you be offended?”

I thought she was kidding, and I laughed it off.

“Do people really get upset by that?”

“You’d be surprised.”

It takes a lot to offend me. Bawdy jokes – tell them. Have a differing political view – rant away. I don’t care what you do in your bedroom. I don’t care what deity you worship or if you worship none. A book, television show, movie, song, social media… seriously? If I don’t like it, I simply don’t indulge it. If you voice a viewpoint that I oppose, I may challenge you, but you won’t offend me. If anything, I will probably find it amusing.

What most certainly does not offend me is mixing my groceries.

Injustice offends me. Kids not having enough to eat offends me. Rape culture offends me. Domestic abuse offends me, Child abuse offends me, Innocent people dying violent, senseless deaths offends me. Prejudice offends me, Homelessness in such an affluent country offends me. Animal cruelty offends me.

People offended by having their box of nitrile gloves bundled with their dill pickles, and giving their cashier grief over it offends me.

Lighten up people, find a real reason to be offended.

“It is very, very easy not to be offended by a book. You just have to shut it.” ~ Salman Rushdie

This week’s word is:

Reality

What to do:

Using “reality” for inspiration, write 100 Words – 100 exactly – no more, no less. You can either use the word – or any form of the word – as one of your 100, or it can be implied. Include a link in your post back here, and add your story to the Mister Linky list. If you don’t have a blog, you can leave your submission in the comment section, or as a Facebook status post. Remember to keep spreading the love with supportive comments for your fellow Wordsters.