With the right attitude and timing, even a trip to the grocery store can feel like an adventure. The essential ingredients for that adventure came together for me on Monday. The key ingredients were these three: the expectation of a winter storm, which would confine me to home for a couple of days; time enough to leisurely peruse the market; and the ‘feeling’ that there was nothing to eat in the house. Now, as it turned out, the storm did not materialize where I live and, of course, there was plenty of food in my house. Those ‘facts’ did not prevent me from having an adventure.
After my water aerobics class at the Y, instead of returning home, I headed for Wegman’s grocery store in Burlington. Although it’s about twenty miles away, they have free electric vehicle chargers, so I welcome the opportunity to shop there. The store was packed, as was the parking lot, with the EV charger spaces in use, so I parked in a regular spot.
I grabbed a couple of reusable bags from my trunk and entered Wegman’s. My first stop was at the self-service coffee stand, where I made my own cappuccino, flavored with hazelnut, then sat in the cafe-style area to enjoy it. A young woman entered with her two or three-year-old son, who asked her for the rooster. A nearby staff person jumped up and tapped the overhanging balcony, which was evidently the on-button and, lo and behold, the Wegman’s rooster crowed! I had heard this occasionally before when shopping. Now, how much can it matter that a store has an authentic-sounding rooster? To that little boy, it mattered a lot! And, to each of us in that corner, his delight was contagious. And, I hadn’t ever begun to shop!
After enjoying my cappuccino, my shopping began. Next stop, the bakery area, where I chose multiple goodies for our household, including dark chocolate-dipped macaroons and a no-sugar-added blueberry pie, my husband’s favorite. In the flower isle, I picked a small orchid plant for my friend-since-seventh-grade, Karen.
Then, perhaps my favorite part of the store, cheeses and extras, such as the chocolate-dusted almonds and the marcona almonds, that I love for snacking. Soon I was in that part of the store where a model train runs above, chugging along with the whistle blowing. Is this a necessity for a grocery store? No, but the sight and sound of it always make me smile.
As I neared completion of my shopping, I realized that I needed crackers to go with the havarti cheese I had chosen. The store is enormous and I don’t go down every isle, so I asked someone stocking shelves where to find the crackers. She looked up for a minute, mentally scanning the isles, then responded with “isle 12b,” as she pointed me to the right direction. I am always astounded that evidently every person working there has somehow learned where everything is. Some time, I want to ask them what trick they use to remember all of that. Also, that I really appreciate their use of this skill.
The checkout lines were all long, but I chose one of them. After standing there a minute, a staff person approached me and invited me to move to a newly opened line, where I would be next! I thanked him and began to move my items to the moving counter. When I displayed my empty coffee cup, I mentioned that I needed to pay for two, because the last time I had been there, I had forgotten to mention it. The staff person thanked my for my honesty and continued to check me out.
On my way home, I stopped by Karen’s to deliver her orchid. This weekday excursion had felt as delightful as a morning in Paris! Well, maybe that’s a bit of exaggeration, but not much. What makes any trip an adventure? It’s our openness to the details of what and who is around us. Not everything was perfect — the free EV charger had not been available, my cupboard at home was not bare, and the promised storm did not happen. Nevertheless, my trip had been delightful and I’d felt like I had an adventure.
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Carole's Words 