“Do we have to go to the grocery store?”
I look in the mirror at the back seat and smile. A few years ago my daughter might have said that but not anymore. She’s driving herself to school now so she’s off the hook. I have to go alone.
I dislike going to the grocery store. I either put it off until we're out of everything but pickles and a three-year-old can of cream of chicken soup, or I zip in for 15 minutes, filling my cart with whatever I can grab in that amount of time.
When my daughter was younger, I would wait until after school so she had to go with me. She made it more enjoyable and she could help me too, which meant shorter trips.
That said, my favorite area at the grocery store, other than the floral department, is produce. All those fruits and vegetables--all those possibilities.
And the colors! Wow. Bright reds, oranges, yellows next to deep blues and purples and every shade of green. For years, I didn’t expect to find beauty in the grocery store, so the day when I really began to notice the produce, I was surprised.
It's a feast for the eyes when we take time to step back and take it all in.
What if nature's colors were neutrals?
What if oranges were not orange at all but gray? And lemons, apples, and green peppers were a nice warm taupe? Yuck. Surely they would taste as bland as they looked.
I'm grateful that nature is filled with color. I'm grateful for produce that (generally) looks as good as it tastes and tastes as good as it looks. And for grocery stores, too, even on those days when I have to go.
Do you enjoy shopping for food? Why? Have you ever found unexpected beauty at the grocery store?
