Meandering down the aisles, one in the cart seat, one holding onto the cart, and four running full speed through the aisles.
Grocery shopping. With the kids. All six of them.
Now, I’m not going to lie here and say it was just like a walk in the park going to Kroger with all of my kids, all of them within eight years of each other. Trust me…we had our moments. And I will further not lie and admit to it feeling like a spa vacation on the times I could attend the store by my lonesome self, with dad or some other trustworthy babysitter watching the kin. Honestly, it was soothing almost…seeing the labels, reading the nutrition factors, deciding on my own time between blue Doritos or the orange ones.
I couldn’t do that with the kids climbing between the high rise soda stacks, or clearing out the bottom cracker shelf so they could lie down on it.
As calming as it was, there was always something…missing.
As I would saunter slowly past the bakery, I would see other little children smiling as the baker lady gave them cookies to help them pass the time in the frozen food aisle. I would smile to myself as I remembered Matthew with chocolate coating his lips, or Katie with powdered sugar on her chin as they enjoyed the treat. It became the ultimate reason for going to the grocery….the cookie treat. In fact, the minute we entered the magical opening doors, the kids would make a beeline to the bakery. As time passed and I sprinted down with the cart pleading “NOOOOOO……..!!!NOT YET!!!! THAT’S AFTER THE BREAD AISLE!!!!!”, I finally acquiesced and gave into it. Cookies first. Actually, truth be told, it bought me some precious time to head to the boring aisles like vegetables and cleaning products.
The memories. Family time….wherever I can get it.
Today….there is online grocery shopping. Click it, pick it up and never get out of your car. Johnny stays in the car seat. Easy does it.
Whew. What a relief!!!
Or is it?
I will concur, especially on rainy days, how easy and downright like a gift from God that seems. Nothing harder than grocery shopping in the rain. Oh, wait, yes there is: how about grocery shopping in the rain with a a toddler or two, and better yet, with one of them having to “go potty”? Yeah, I get it. Been there , done that.
They say we remember the good and conveniently ignore or suppress the bad.
I speak the truth of this.
I just wish there had been iPhones “back in the day”. I would have taken pictures of Chloe opening up the Cheerios because she “wanted some”. I would have taken a selfie with Luke and Josh complaining because I wouldn’t let them get out of the cart. Mike liked the Matchbox cars they sold in one of the aisles, and so he just…well, opened it. So, there was another $4.99 I had to spend.
Yes. I would have captured it all.
For now though, it’s all right there. It’s in my memory bank. And it was part of the memory of the best days of my life.
Think before you click.
jensumandthensome 