Is it just me, or do you sometimes have the same thought? Of course, some may think my amygdala is sending a false distress signal. Whether it is real or imagined, it is of concern. Trust me on this. No one should go to the grocery store and have to sort out whether there is a real shortage resulting in empty shelves or if the store simply hasn’t been restocked.
Any hint that food items could be in short supply activates the memory of the early days of the pandemic when lines of grocery shoppers circled the building and once inside the store, empty shelves seemed to be the name of the game.
Of course, the General may be partially to blame. We figuratively haven’t used tea bags to make tea since some time well before the beginning of WWII. People would think you were primitive if you actually had to boil water as part of the process of having iced tea. We only purchase ready-to-drink tea in plastic bottles.
Okay, so the General makes the grocery list. If I brought home tea bags instead of a plastic bottle labeled Unsweet Tea, I’d be in trouble. At least 50% of the time, I don’t find unsweet tea at the grocery store. I could pick up a three-month supply of sweet tea, but unsweet tea obviously is in short supply.
I made a quick trip to the store last night to pick up a few things. Not everything on my very short list was available. For example, the General wanted 4 (2 quart) containers of tea. I knew when I left home that the chances were slim to none that the store would have four. I was pleasantly surprised to find three.
However, I found myself in a long line at checkout since I had more than 15 items. I counted them twice just to be sure I couldn’t use an express lane.
My amygdala may have sent another false signal when I saw the amount due on the cash register. It isn’t like I go to the grocery store only once a week. I go to the grocery store almost every day! As my mother would say, “I’m telling you the God’s truth.” Of course, is there any other kind of truth?
I have the same thought every time I checkout at the grocery store. The cost of groceries has risen dramatically. I always spend at least $100 dollars and go home with the thought that we still don’t have anything to eat.
All My Best!
Don
Carpe Diem 