You might need to know this...

One time this summer I wound up sleeping in my car in a Walmart parking lot.

Weeeeeell it wasn't so much I "wound up" doing it as I wanted to do it. So, instead of making plans to find a place to stay that one night I pulled into a Walmart and made my dreams come true!

Here's what you need to know should you find yourself in a scenario similar...

1. Location, location, location. Where you park for the night is important. You don't want to park in the spots close to the Walmart doors (especially the ones with a blue wheelchair marking them, that's a biiiiig no no!) because everyone coming in and out of the doors while you're trying to get ready for bed can see inside your car. Aaaawkward. Try to find a place close to RVs but not too close. You'll feel secure knowing there are other people spending the night there as well but you'll also have a sense of privacy...well as much as you can sleeping in a car anyway.




2. Use Walmart to your advantage but don't make yourself too at home. Sure you can go in before they close to use the bathroom, brush your teeth you could even change into your jammies if you are really brave. However, don't take things too far! It's probably best to avoid taking a sponge bath in the bathroom sink, settling in to watch a movie before bed, drinking milk from the carton and putting it back in the cooler or inviting your friends over for a game of Cranium.

3. Make your bed as comfy as possible. I think this is a given in any sleeping situation. Am I wrong?



4. Be as discreet as you can when changing from your day clothes into your jammies. Remember, public exposure is wrong! Perhaps putting a skirt on over top to change beneath would work for you? Or if you're of the male persuasion, changing under a blanket? Either way, there's no need to put on a show!

5. Be prepared for the Random Factor. You never know what's going to happen in a Walmart parking lot! Teenagers playing with shopping carts at 2am, dad's giving driving lessons, cars backfiring, kids in the RV close by crying, men relieving themselves in the decorative trees (sorry to tell ya Walmart workers). The Walmart parking lot comes alive after hours!

6. Crack the car window. Not too much mind you. Just enough to keep the air fresh. You know sometimes when you wake up and the room is stuffy, covered with that sleep smell? Much worse inside a car.

7. Enjoy your sleep. Though it may be interrupted often,it may be cramped and there's not much privacy enjoy the experience I say.

How did that come about?

This summer while I was in Regina I did a lot of things that I've never done before: I went to my first 3D movie ever; I slept in my car in the walmart parking lot; I became close friends with total strangers; I brushed my teeth in the walmart bathroom; I went to my second 3D movie ever; I got a mani-pedi; I got into a collision on Albert; I spent an entire afternoon in a public library; I looked at a human heart that had suffered a heart attack...

and I went to a rabbit funeral.

The rabbit, Lou, had belonged to a 16 year old girl that I love very much. I went over to her house and of course I dressed in black because that's only appropriate. When I arrived said 16 year old and her mother were digging the grave in the back yard. I took over so that the headstone could be prepared.

It was a lovely service. Lou was laid in his grave then the mother and I sang a duet after which Lou's owner read a page from her journal about the first day she got Lou. Then we all shared memories about Lou, after those heart warming moments we each took a turn filling the grave. When it was all over we went inside to have some refreshments.

The entire experience made me want to have children.