Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Clueless in the Aisles

Lucky me was able to enjoy some of friend B's company today. She took me hither and thither, amongst the blooming yards, streets and trails of her old neighborhood. My feet trying to match her long legged stride, as she followed a memorized route from her years of living in that 'hood.

After the walk, we both headed (separately) to WinCo. Since our current situation has made it necessary to focus on grocery shopping, we each went on our own through the store. I'm trying my best to check my list repeatedly, to prevent having to backtrack through the store, but it's not easy.

I was able to wait two weeks between grocery shopping trips, for the first time. Now to see if it was a fluke or if it'll work out again--fingers crossed. One thing that seemed to make a difference, was buying some canned green beans. The fresh vegetables I buy regularly don't last quite long enough, so this nostalgic helper has joined the line-up--with bacon and salsa, of course.

Today's trip found me less stressed than usual, maybe due to the walk and chat beforehand. I grabbed my bags, mask and alcohol spray, before heading into the store. Mostly folks are aware of each other and patient when it's necessary to wait for a crowded area to empty out, but today there was an older woman at the check-out who was completely clueless.

No social distancing for her--she stood beside me and talked and talked, about only needing a few things and how she boycotts the self-checkout, etc. And finally, I realized she was going to be next to me for the entire transaction--so I urged her to go ahead of me. Her behavior continued with the cashier. I can't wrap my head around people living in a pandemic, but refusing to accept there is one. Will we end up naming that condition of not accepting reality? Will the name reflect the moment?


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