Grocery Store Encounter

I'm one of those people you meet in the grocery store check-out who chats with strangers. I know, it's weird, but I meet so many interesting people that way! For example, I left school late last night, after 5 o'clock on any Friday night is late! I needed to stop by the store because I had no coffee creamer and no fruit left in the house, two essentials for my life. I was setting my purchases on the belt and dropped the avocado. I picked it up off the floor and set it back on the belt, announcing there was no sense getting a different one because that one was going to be guacamole that night. The lady beside me started talking about avocados, then we talked about oranges and I realized she was not the 'normal' African American that I meet from time to time. I told her that she knew far more about oranges than most Americans and asked her what country she called home. She said Ivory Coast and I replied, "Oh, Côte d'Ivoire, I have friends who live there." We were instant friends. We talked about tropical fruits and vegetables, I mentioned Haiti where we lived for 12 years + 6 years (off and on), and then politics came up. Third World Politics. As we walked out of the store, chatting away in French, we spoke of the underlying reason politicians can't seem to walk away when they lose. Simultaneously we each said, "Money." They want access to the international money. Sigh... I'm such an idealist. I want to elect people (everywhere) who truly desire to help the needy in their countries. But life has changed from those first days of the people's choice and now one must be a multi-millionaire or have access to someone else's millions in order to mount a political campaign. I seriously wish leadership was more about service and less about money and fame. It's not going to happen so I will just be glad about my wealth of relationships, including those born in a grocery store.