Dom and I went to Ikea a few days ago.  Mostly, it was a way for me to get out of the house, but I told my husband that I had to get a stool for the boy.  Yes, he bought it, so off Dom and I went for a glorious afternoon of escape.

We snagged our shopping cart (just in case I found something to buy besides the stool) and immediately headed for the restaurant for lunch.  While we were eating…or, rather…after I ate and was waiting for Dom to finish eating, I had a revelation.  While people watching, I realized something. 

Nobody was yelling at his or her kids.  No kids were throwing tantrums in front of their parents.  There were no disgruntled employees snarling at customers who had questions.  The customers with the questions seemed elated to stand around waiting for answers.  In fact…everyone was pretty darned happy.

Have you ever noticed that?  That once people walk through the front door of an Ikea, they are transformed into shiny, happy people?  It is slightly creepy to see all of those huge smiles plastered onto faces as though Ikea were a Stepford community, isn’t it?

I suppose the low prices could be leaving people so thrilled that they grin big enough to show off their back molars.  Or maybe the brightly colored furniture and accessories soothe the spirit.  Possibly, happy drugs are mixed into the meatball mixture (hey, there is some ingredient in there that hooks you, too).  I don’t know.   I just know that, as we continued our shopping journey through the accessories area, everyone there was happy, too.

There was no grumbling in the 20-person-deep register line, either.  After we paid for our stuff, the Ikea cashier gave me an overly perky, “Thank you.” 

And, huge smile on my face, I replied, “Thank you!” 

Yeah…I had the meatballs for lunch.