The most risqué Wrambling ever! Kama Sutra warning!!
By Chuck Wiser, I write the words to share what my eyes see and my heart feels
One of the most common conversational threads about the negative aspects of Walmart is the “turn-over ratio” of the employees. I have often countered that with my personal observation of and history with the Walmart store in Olean, NY. Even better than the competitive prices that Walmart offers is the cheerfulness of nearly all the employees and especially the outward friendliness of Jodi. Adding to the pleasure of shopping at Walmart I also have a “greeting history” with the guy manning the Subway shop and taking payment for my nearly weekly purchase of popcorn at the entrance/exit.
When nearly all the Rite Aid stores in our area closed, the one in Olean remained open, but for convenience, or so I thought, I changed my pharmacy of choice to where prescriptions were to be sent, to the Walgreen pharmacy. After a brief stint with Walgreens, having switched my prescription service to them initially, I changed back to Rite Aid due to the unsatisfactory service and continual problems with prescription renewals at Walgreens.

Smiling my way back to my thoughts of Olean encounters, Christy and Cheryl at Rite Aid are added to the list of names of people who never fail to bring a smile to my face. I always look forward to talking with them on the phone to check the status of a prescription filling or getting to see their smiling faces upon visiting to pick up a filled script. I can’t recall any similar relationships with people in the Wellsville stores or business establishments, with the exception of John, at J.W. Embser’s Funeral Home. Although not a customer, yet, I look forward to our encounters. I met John, and his wife, when we were invited to join a new members “welcoming group” in Wellsville when we moved there in the 70’s. My standing line of greeting, probably tiring to him, as our paths happen to cross often is: “I hope you’re not here to pick me up.”
As the song goes, “🎶When I woke up this morning you were on my mind…” These thoughts weren’t exactly on my mind but my usual early waking thoughts center on trying to remember what I had been dreaming about. This morning my thoughts were “how can the smell of frying breakfast sausages wake me up?” As an odd coincidence we had a conversation with a Spectrum field service representative the other day who conversationally mentioned that he had plans to write a book, or a song, or both, about his past dreams. He even mentioned the name he planned to use for his song and follow-up book. My planned book sometimes alluded to in my writings or poems, are about roads that I had previously traveled. “The roads once traveled” has been a topic recently, and often, mentioned. I like the idea of a “Book of Dreams” though.
I briefly mentioned a grammar groan I had considered to Sun Owner/Editor Andrew Harris but had decided against. My comment was along the lines that it might be a little too risqué for public exposure, but he encouraged me to “go for it.” So, I will. 😉.
My deviously humorous mind often plays on words switching, interchanging or substituting the proper word with one of different meanings. “Oft times” my throttle or “governor” doesn’t properly control what comes out verbally.
Hindsight often reminds me of the error of my ways, or “weighs,” if they are on my mind. Skipping ahead of myself for a bit here as follows…
Not the example I was going to use, but an example of the example was a hallway conversation I had at Alfred State College during the time of my college teaching days. A colleague and I were exchanging banter having crossed paths in the hallway. In our light-hearted discussion I replied to one of her humorous comments about our meeting in the hallway stating, something about our meeting by replying “I’m not accustomed to meeting in pubic, err, I mean public, places.” That was a very “flip” comment that I regret making to this day. Nothing was said or commented about it at the time as our conversation continued then ended as we continued on our way.
Later that day I received a call From Doug Barber, Dean of the school of Engineering Technology at the time, asking me to come to his office. I did, and as I entered his office, he asked me to close the door and have a seat. I thought he acted quite somber as he started the conversation with the statement to the effect that another employee, a female, had reported me formally, for having made “an inappropriate or un-toward comment” to her. Nothing I recalled saying to her that should have been particularly “offensive” came to mind, so I asked him what the comment was. He read her statement as reported, to me, paraphrasing what I had said. Hearing the words in the context of our conversation clearly showed me how those words could be taken as inappropriate. She, or they, were not going to take it any higher up, or any further, but a report did go in my personnel file. Later, I sent her an email apologizing for my words, and briefly mentioned that I understood, and harbored no ill-will over the exchange or her reporting it.

Sometimes my quick wit, and mouth flying open to express it out loud, exceeds the speed of common sense. My play on words, but only in my own mind this time is what triggered the preceding recollection as the train of thought my mind would have de-railed if I had spoken in public changing the comment “kama sutra” to “karma sutra” having recently experienced something that brought karma into my mind. I was initially planning to use my “mind twisted” phraseology in this Wrambling but having second thoughts encouraged me to double check the definition or meaning of the phrase. That was when I mentioned my concerns to “the Boss.”
Backing up a bit, the first definition I found stated that; “the Kama Sutra an ancient Hindu text on erotic pleasure and other topics.” That definition gave me second thoughts, which fortunately sometimes when writing I can better control my “off the tongue” quick wit comments.
Further “source exploration” softened the definition and use a little, with the explanation making the phrase a little less critical, pointing out that; “Kama” means desire, pleasure, or love in Sanskrit, and is also the name of the Hindu god of love. “Sutra” is translated as “threads” or “discourse.” So, Kama Sutra means something like “book of love” or “threads of pleasure.”
Therefore, upon more than a “second thought,” and with Andrews blessing my having recently experienced karma-sutra would be well within the bounds of appropriate commenting. There, see how I shifted or at least shared the blame?
I might as well “continue the thread” of instantaneous or “off the cuff” terminology by noting that I will someday soon pick up on the theme of citing other typical items of those thoughts, terms and phrases as I find them somewhat of interest to readers near to my age grouping, relatively speaking. They are equally as dry and boring to anyone younger than 50 years of age.
Thought tweaking continues, but with a slight back-story.
Music is an integral component of my character, and current lifestyle and it is not limited to my “formal” exposure to music. I, and longtime good friend Dennis Rehler, will often, upon hearing any particular word, any sentence, phrase or any opening combination of words, break into a song triggered by the word, or combination of words. It drives my wife “bonkers.” I don’t always break out in song verbally, but the recollection is nearly always there in my head. As I started this paragraph thinking that someone was on my mind triggered a recollection of the song with the phrase; “You were on my mind.” Now that song is, and will remain, in my head. Until replaced.
Tuesday night during lull of rehearsal of the songs being prepared for the annual Genesee Valley Chorus upcoming Lenten Season performance(s), I marveled at the directing style and ability displayed by Matthew Purks-Morris. As I sat there daydreaming between songs, my mind drifted to how great it would be to be more intimately involved in music, more “professionally” than “hobby-wise” as my involvement currently is. As much as writing is involved in my life, my association with music could, or could have, expanded even beyond that. Career choices cannot always be un-done but fortunately for me it/they did take a couple of different roads or paths, albeit only as a side dish and not the entre with a formal basis. When I discuss my career in teaching as a college professor, I always make the expression that teaching was never considered a job to me. When I prepared to go “teach” on any given day I never thought or said; “I’m going to work.” Had I been more involved with music, I can’t even begin to imagine what joy and pleasure it would have been to be a singer, performer, or director of a musical group. I do owe a debt of gratitude to the many musical people in my life going all the way back to Mr. Millen (sp), my 6th grade music teacher and including directors such as; John Molinari, Anthony Cappadonia, Jack Darr, Sue Hyde, Norma Bartlett, Norene Ferris, Dave Toot, Dave Dunbar, and sadly, anyone that I forgot to mention here in my reverie. The song Imagine which I have had the pleasure of singing, while perhaps not directly applicable, at least describes how I feel about my involvement with music. I envy their apparent joy and pleasure. I thank them for sharing that passion with me. Had I chosen music as my career path instead of; My military service time, then as an engineer/designer and then a college professor, and now, gratefully as a writer doing what would be the second most pleasureful, but now, current experience.
In my recent travels to, and around the streets of, both Wellsville and Olean I have noted the wintertime up-tick of what would seem to be homeless people. I know I mentioned this a short while ago, but seeing those people wandering the streets, backpacks or bedroll in hand brings a plethora of heartfelt feelings. The range of feelings or at least opinions goes from wonderment to downright rage at those who could, if they chose to, find both jobs and places to live, supported by those jobs. I am sensitive to the despair of those who don’t seem to have the mental capacity, feel the motivation, or feel the moral obligation to “get a job and get off the streets. Standing along the street or by a stop sign with your sign isn’t the only avenue or path out of the situation.
I continually read the comments from many stating that there are no jobs, or “does anyone know where there are jobs in…X,Y,Z towns?”
There are Help Wanted signs in or at any number of places of business all over the place.
If you have a device that allows you to post those questions in social media, then you have a method to see those ads or requests for workers to fill those jobs. I suspect that “worker” is a critical keyword in those job ads.
Earlier I was going to add a comment on just one other Walmart employee who is not in the mold of most of those whom I speak. All the rest of my thoughts and comments were pleasant and up-lifting so I didn’t want to have the only really negative experience added in my Wrambling.
My sign off quote might need to be edited to read;
I dream. write, sing and direct, what my eyes see and my heart feels.”
And now I close, thanking those of you who have and will take the time to read my Wramblings, and especially those who reach out in a note, in passing, or in a store or on the street. Further, I invite any, and all, comments, cares or concern that you may have and express. Reach out to me at IM.Wiserdad@Gmail.com
Feeling romantic? Get 18 stem bouquets for just $25 for a good cause
