I was at the grocery store Saturday afternoon. I've written before that I'm not a fan of grocery shopping and recently began to outsource this chore to the shop-for-you service at my local store. But an unexpected warm and sunny day meant the grill was beckoning and that required a trip to the market!

I was maneuvering down the end of an aisle. Another shopper was about to come into the aisle, but a display was blocking the path, making it possible for just one cart to fit through at a time. She stopped and so did I, both telling the other to go ahead. We stood there for a minute, each waiting for the other to move. I started to push my cart when a man came around the corner with his cart and moved through the open space, forcing me to stop quickly. I started to go again when a teenage boy -- the man's son -- cut through. A moment later, another son came around the corner. As I finally made my way out of the aisle, the situation struck me as being a little rude. What happened to ladies first, I thought. As I passed the other shopper, she looked at me and smiled. "I wouldn't want his job," she said.

I realized my reaction to the situation was my decision. I could be irritated at the man for cutting me off. Or I could be relieved that my boys were at home, and I was able to shop in peace by myself. I started to think about other times when I felt irritated, overwhelmed or overworked. Is there another way to look at it? You decide!

Originally posted at The Five-Minute’s Mom Club