market days can definitely be long days. getting up really early to set up. sometimes in the dark. on some days, you have rain and thunder storms, creating the market into a large river of water and dirt. other days bring the complete opposite, a hot, humid day with no breeze to save you. just the fire of a sun to beat down killing off happy faces of customers.

but on days such as these, you have time.

time to sit. a blessing in disguise. after a few hours of standing on your feet, sitting down makes you realize how sore your feet really were.

time to watch. you never really know how interesting people are until you just watch them. you can enjoy baskets of peaches breaking upon the task of picking them up sending the fruit this way and that, under tables and trailers. You enjoy watching genuinely good hearted people,willing to run after other people's peaches that are trying to escape the inevitable ending of themselves. They are holding their own overload of groceries, while jogging after the fleeing peaches, stopping them, one with this foot and then extending their other foot to stop another one. Finally they realize that they can't pick them up. :)

You can enjoy the old folks who pat the bums of the stallholders' kids who pick up their large bags of produce for them. Watching after long day can be certainly super relaxing and enjoyable.

time to listen. with the rushes of the day over comes the stragglers of the crowd. those people who are just getting off work or rushing in between crowds to get their eggs. with the comfort of the rush being over for the moment, a time has come to ask questions. Although these questions usually just start conversations of the weather or about their past and upcoming week, somehow, a connection is made, names are learned, and a market family is created. Thus, i look forward to these customers who stop buy just to chat, even when their fridge is still stocked up at home.

time to chat. along with listening, comes chatting. some customers are in a rush to get home, but i fully enjoy time spent with patient customers who listen to my own past and upcoming week. customers make the day more bearable and entertaining and just a wee bit shorter.

time to think. for me, thinking is a good thing. at market with the bustle of the day finished, a time to think comes along. thinking allows time to sort out frustrations at home and things that are coming up and my plans for the week ahead, including tasks that need to be finished before the next weekend of market.

Ecclesiastes 3 talks about having a time for everything.

A Time for Everything

¹ There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:

² a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

³ a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

⁵ a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

⁶ a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

⁷ a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

⁸ a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

these verses are a good reminder that there is always a time for everything. there is a time for me to sit and a time to stand. a time to work and a time to rest, a time to listen and a time to speak... there is a time for everything.

waiting in line at the movies thinking you're late and find out you're not.

movie theaters. bustling with people trying to find your theater 1 or 3 or 9. there are people who know exactly where they are going and others who have not the slightest clue. although theaters are exciting places to be. you're there to watch a new movie. sometimes one that no one has ever seen. theaters are also a nuisance. on hot nights, the lines are just unbearable. you leave home early just to get a good seat, but then you're faced with the giant. the long lines that are unbearable. you wait and wait... looking at your watch you still have a bit of time... not as much as you had hoped, but you still have time probably not to get your favorite seat, but maybe your third or fourth favorite.

so finally you get to the box. "five tickets please" (Luckily you still had enough time to get the tickets.) after paying, some of the crew decides to go to marble slab... which is legit... but someone has to stay in the theater to save 5 seats all beside each other.

finding five seats isn't very easy you know. with the theater packed and not very good seating... it can be hard. but whatever. you got it. 5 seats. fairly close to the top. no tall people sitting in front. no old ladies, loner moaners, or bathroom runners beside. perfect.

so you wait. for everyone else to come back.with sweaters, bags and purses sprawled across the four other seats making a temporary reservation sign.

when the rest of the team comes back having been able sneak in their ice cream, you decide that their might be enough time to go and get something for yourself.

you take the line that looks the shortest. but while you do this, you need to watch out for certain people..

elderly - sometimes the elderly can be hard for the cashier to understand. although you may not find many of these on a hot night, you still may need to steer clear of the walkers and canes.

young families - although their kids look cute and cuddly, WATCH OUT! these suckers take a LONG time deciding what they want. they also all need to hold their own kids fun pack. moms take a while to get it all organized leaving you behind waiting "patiently".

groups of gossipy girls (or boys) - these people can be a real drag. while they wait in line, they don't talk or think about what they want to have, they talk. and talk. about pointless, useless, crap. and when they are being served, their talking goes from the hottest boy (or best video game) to what they want on their popcorn.

---and of course---

large groups buying together - this is brutal especially in "rush minutes" . their big orders not only take forever to punch through, but forever to make! the poor cashier works their hardest not to get anything wrong... but with big orders, it can frequently happen. during 'rush minuite' it can be even more brutal. no one is there to help the poor cashier. they are doing it all by themselves, making the process even longgggger.

and there you are. standing in line. waiting. looking at your watch. its 5 minutes past 7. thats when the movie is supposed to start... and you wait.... you wait for the elderly lady. and the gossipy girls.. the family of four kids. and the large group. some of the people in front leave the line... them too trying to get the best line possible. FINALLY, you get there... to movie theater's "halfway to heaven" -- the front of the line!

you order... tapping your fingers and looking at you watch as the cashier counts the change and counts it again. you don't think you're late anymore, you know. you try to cope with missing the first couple minutes of the movie.

you get you stuff. and make you way to the ticket reader. you set down all your stuff cause of course you put your ticket in the safest place... inside your pocket or wallet... DUHH!! whatever. you've already coped with missing the first couple minutes.. why not a couple more...

you make your way to your theater. find your saved seat and sit down. the movie hasn't started.

AWESOME!

-written by kat vos.

... read more awesome by Niel Pasricha

http://1000awesomethings.com/