Sometimes when you least expect it, you hear something that is both surprising and equally disturbing, but was meant in the best way. Like today when I was selling this woman a pair of shoes. She was a little older and had trouble leaning down to tie them. So I offered to take care of that for her and was just about done with the second shoe when her equally old and non-agile-looking husband says “Damn boy, you got some skinny arms but they strong as hell.”

Now I always thought I’d hear a comment like that in prison, or when being propositioned on a street corner somewhere, not when trying to sell a shoe. And of course the conversation didn’t end with that comment. It was followed by “Do you lift weights?,” my swift denial and desire to move a few feet away–Only those with tickets get to enjoy the gun show, and this man did not have the appropriate pass for admission.