I just returned from the grocery store, where I bought, among other things, an onion. I typically store my onions wrapped in newspaper, but as I looked around the kitchen I remembered that today is trash day and that all our old newspapers had been put out with the recycling. Woe! But then I remembered having seen a freebie paper sitting outside earlier, so I went out to grab it, not bothering to put on my shoes. Whereupon I had the following conversation with the little girl who lives two doors down.
Girl: Hello!
Me: Hi! How are you today?
Girl: Why aren't you wearing any shoes?
Me: Well, I was just coming out to grab that newspaper over there and I didn't think I'd need any shoes since I wasn't going very far.
Girl: I'll get it!
Me: Oh, thank you! You didn't have to do that, but it was very nice of you.
Girl: You're welcome!
Me: And next time I come out I promise I'll put on my shoes.
Girl: You should probably put on new socks too.
Me: OK, I'll do that.
Now, to my way of thinking, the odd thing about my trip outside was not that I was not wearing shoes, but that I still had the onion in my hand. But to her, apparently, carrying around an onion is perfectly normal, or at least less worthy of comment than going outside sans shoes.
