But I digress. It was a madhouse in there! You would think there was a blizzard coming or that a hurricane just hit and that people were scrambling for their very last meal. There were cart traffic jams at the ends of aisles, people glaring at each other to get to the broth or turkeys or whatever. I got to the celery display before it was too depleted or who knows what I might have done. If you were at the store today too you wouldn't have said, oh look everyone is so cranky and mean except that vision of beauty and serenity over there buying celery. No, you would not have said that.
It really was kind of gross, all that consumption just for one meal. There was totally enough for all of us in the store. If all katrillion of us had been shut in there we could have eaten for weeks, even as crowded as it was. (Hopefully I would not be the one stuck in the mayonnaise aisle should that occur, but who's being picky?)
There is a lot of hunger in the world, and a lot of people who live that every day--fighting with each other, probably with their own friends, for some food for their bubbas. Probably fighting for not enough food, at that. Life would look very, very different standing from there.
What do I say? That we should help them? Of course we should. That I'm glad I'm not one of them? That's really stupid, because it is, and because it could be any one of us, any time. I'm ashamed I don't remember it more often. For today I will just be thankful for the pile of groceries in my kitchen and for how easy it was to get them. Slightly less easy today than other days, but really shamefully easy. So easy that if I wanted to (and some days I do) I could CHOOSE to make it harder and more expensive by going to buy local organic unwashed celery.
You know what else? I have also decided to believe that at least some of the people in the store with me felt the same way after that store experience and are thankful this evening too.
7 comments:
I have the same angst every single time I go to the grocery store. The sheer abundance, and wastefulness, of it all makes me feel like such a tiny person.
It's hard not to be thankful with that messy, milky face around.
I wish I could reach through this screen and scrunch those chubby cheeks. Thanks for the reminder. I could live off my pantry for two to three months.
I love that picture. Sheer joy!
You are right about the abundance and overflow. We *could* share more than we do. We *should*. I try, but not hard enough.
I feel that way whenever I'm standing in front of the toothpaste shelves. My god -- is it really necessary to have 40 choices!?
The picture of bubba is beyond cute. What a sweet face.
Thanks for the reminder. It's easy to forget sometimes.
SO VERY CUTE! I am thankful for the same things, and had a frighteningly similar experience at the grocery on Wednesday evening. People racing through the aisles, with very few "excuse mes" or patient turn-taking. It made me want to boycott the whole thing! Talk about missing the point!
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