I also love to do a form of "people watching" at the grocery store. I am totally guilty of looking into people's carts to see what kind of food they are buying. Because what it in your cart kind of defines who you are and what is going on with your life.I always thought it would be cool to work at the check out, especially the "15 item and under" line. Got a couple boxes of Capri Suns and bags of potato chips? Bet you are a sport parent, and it's your turn for snack. Got steak, potatoes, and a bottle of wine? Bet you are planning a romantic dinner. Got chocolate, a copy of the movie The Notebook, Advil, and Tampons? Well, we all know what that means...
A friend of mine almost ruined it for me though. She, you see, detests grocery shopping and was complaining about it one day. When I asked her why she hated it so much, she replied that it was the monotony of the chore that irked her:
1. Lift grocery from shelf and place in cart.
2. Lift grocery from cart and place on checkout counter.
3. Lift grocery from checkout counter and place in bag.
4. Lift grocery bag and place back in cart.
5. Lift grocery bag from cart and place in vehicle.
6. Lift grocery bag from vehicle and carry into house. Lift onto counter.
7. And finally, lift groceries from the bag and place in fridge or pantry.
Well. I had never thought of it that way, and when you do it sounds....monotonous.
But for some reason, even this new illumination of the task did not lower my spirits towards my every-other-week adventure into the world of "paper or plastic?".
Today I went grocery shopping. I had my list (duh), but I was in a bit more of a time crunch than most days, so I did not take my usual amount of time to browse, compare prices, etc. And as I was finishing up, I realized how lucky I was, and snapped a picture of my grocery cart.
My mom has told me stories about not having enough money to buy groceries for me and my sister. That's when she decided to go back to college and get an engineering degree. She is an avid grocery shopper and cook as well, so I am sure we both have some Freud stuff going on in that regard.
I myself can remember taking a calculator and coupon envelope to the grocery store, knowing I had $60 to spend that had to last 2 weeks with 2-4 people. I added up each item as I placed it in the cart, at times making hard decisions to put things back if I went over my mark. We didn't use credit cards, so if the money wasn't there- it wasn't there. We ate a lot of peanut butter and spaghetti, but I can't remember being unhappy at the grocery store even then. I was young and newly married, excited about having my own budget and kitchen to experiment in (and a husband to experiment on). I will never forget when I got my first paycheck as a registered nurse- I went to Meijers and wound up crying happy tears right there in the store because I realized that- if I wanted to- I could spend more than $100. I made my first fancy dinner that night, complete with the first bottle of wine I had ever purchased for myself.
As I said earlier, I was in a bit of a hurry at the grocery today, but I had another moment that almost brought tears to my eyes in the aisle again. Looking into my basket, I saw a much different array of food than when I first got married. I had organic fruits and vegetables, "expensive" toilet paper, and beer that cost more than $6 for a six-pack. I didn't really look at how much stuff cost today- just grabbed what I needed/wanted and moved along to the next aisle.
And then I saw a young woman with a calculator and coupons. And I almost cried. Not for her, you see, beacuse she didn't look sad. But happy tears, and ones of gratitude. I was humbled today, and hope that I will never lose sight of how blessed I am to have a grocery cart filled with healthy food and expensive toilet paper.
Today's picture represents gratitude and the importance of being reminded just how lucky you are.
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