Grocery Store Adventures

Does anybody else have random conversations with other shoppers when they go to the grocery store, or is that a "Minnesota nice" phenomenon?Today, I actually had TWO conversations. One was in the produce section when I helped an elderly woman identify produce (she was trying to buy fennel.) Don't you just love that? I remember the first time I had to buy leeks-- I had no idea what they even looked like. The other one was in the bulk foods section where another shopper and I discussed oatmeal. I prefer quick oats, whereas he prefers the kind you have to cook. Then we talked about what we put in our oatmeal- blueberries for him, dried cranberries and vanilla for me. What a great idea he says- and runs off to go find some for himself. All this exchange happening in a matter of seconds. I may never see these two people again in my entire life, but who knows how our paths may have been altered by that brief encounter. To this day, I still tell the story about the woman in the Parisien grocery store six years ago who helped me buy ingredients to bake a birthday cake for a friend. I will never forget her kindness in what was then a frightening and unfamiliar world to me. In stark contrast, also at the store today was youngish guy with his iPod ear buds shoved in his ears, existing in his own mind, disconnected from the world, blocking other shoppers and completely oblivious to their requests to please let them pass by. I know it is only grocery shopping, but what a metaphor it could be for life. My experience brings a grin to my face- I love that kind of stuff, human interaction in its rawest form. I feel engaged in the world, a part of what is happening, rather than a passive observer. Then there is iPod man, stuck in his own little world, not even paying attention to what is going on (not to mention probably damaging his ears!) Which do you choose?