Dec 18, 2023·edited Dec 18, 2023Liked by Tresta Payne
I’ve noticed recently how I have to work to engage with people in the store. I get tired of being kind and hopeful. Or the kids are acting crazy and it’s hard to be patient when another person tells me my hands are full. But I never regret at least making eye contact with the person checking out the groceries and asking how their day is. It makes me feel more human, even if there’s not much else to the interaction than a few pleasantries. People everywhere seem to be so stressed and overwhelmed and I can easily fall into that too. And then you realize how it just snowballs. Someone flipped me off at the gas pump and the temptation is to just take it and send it somewhere else — pass the hurt on. So as much as all these little interactions are nothing, I just think they have to be a lot more than that too.
I also despise letting anyone else push the cart. I can’t think without it.
I love your Grocery Stories, and I wonder if there's not a bigger project waiting there... ;) But I also wonder what stories people are telling themselves about me as I wind my way through the aisles. I can be an impatient shopper. I will not wait behind you while you muse over the 400 varieties of canned beans or tomatoes. <sigh> I have certain cashiers I avoid and certain deli employees I'd rather not engage with, but I like your grocery Store fairy Godmother mentality. It's hard to be a person in this world, and it's hard to grocery shop around other people struggling to be people in this world.
My husband does most of our grocery shopping, always has. For him, it’s about controlling what’s in the fridge, the cupboard (he had an eating disorder when he was young and still struggles with his relationship with food). But he always comes home from shopping in a bad mood and I think that cynicism you point to is a part of it. Does grocery shopping just bring out the bad side of us? I think I will tell him about your stories and see if he will give it a try.
I’ve noticed recently how I have to work to engage with people in the store. I get tired of being kind and hopeful. Or the kids are acting crazy and it’s hard to be patient when another person tells me my hands are full. But I never regret at least making eye contact with the person checking out the groceries and asking how their day is. It makes me feel more human, even if there’s not much else to the interaction than a few pleasantries. People everywhere seem to be so stressed and overwhelmed and I can easily fall into that too. And then you realize how it just snowballs. Someone flipped me off at the gas pump and the temptation is to just take it and send it somewhere else — pass the hurt on. So as much as all these little interactions are nothing, I just think they have to be a lot more than that too.
I also despise letting anyone else push the cart. I can’t think without it.
Oh my goodness! One little thought you shared stopped me in my tracks --
“...I don’t actually need every experience to be beautiful—some things just need to get done.”
I know there’s beauty surrounding us, and I’m always on the lookout for it... but sometimes....well, yeah... the thing just needs to get done!
Thank you!!
I just love YOU. Thanks for being here. 🤎
You as Grocery Store Fairy Godmother makes me smile.
Little snark is o so necessary at least once a week. 😬 Enjoyed this post 🤍
I love your Grocery Stories, and I wonder if there's not a bigger project waiting there... ;) But I also wonder what stories people are telling themselves about me as I wind my way through the aisles. I can be an impatient shopper. I will not wait behind you while you muse over the 400 varieties of canned beans or tomatoes. <sigh> I have certain cashiers I avoid and certain deli employees I'd rather not engage with, but I like your grocery Store fairy Godmother mentality. It's hard to be a person in this world, and it's hard to grocery shop around other people struggling to be people in this world.
My husband does most of our grocery shopping, always has. For him, it’s about controlling what’s in the fridge, the cupboard (he had an eating disorder when he was young and still struggles with his relationship with food). But he always comes home from shopping in a bad mood and I think that cynicism you point to is a part of it. Does grocery shopping just bring out the bad side of us? I think I will tell him about your stories and see if he will give it a try.