A grocery store vacation

It’s been a long time since I’ve been on vacation. The pandemic definitely curtailed overseas travel plans, so the contiguous 48 states have familiar and new destinations. I wasn’t thinking about vacationing until I was in the grocery store. I performed the pre-entry duties, brought back the bottles and cans, and made sure I had my reusable shopping bags, (no plastic grocery bags in New York). I enter the store, grab two disinfectant wipes and turn to make the dreaded shopping cart selection. The small cart is like a challenge to fill it up and get your items to fit perfectly like a game of Tetris. Hard pass, big cart it is. I put my reusable bags in the cart and start the process.

Grocery stores give you every opportunity to impulse buy. Snacks, cookies, storage items and kitchen towels are displayed in the vestibule. Usually a decent deal is attached to trigger your impulse gene. I stared blankly and kept my hands on the cart and rolled past. I entered the store one millisecond before getting clipped by a woman on a mission, who actually mumbled sorry, as she raced to the deli.

The near miss guided me towards the mangoes. They looked semi ripe, but they smelled delicious. I felt like I was standing in a rainforest or sitting at a bar in the rainforest awaiting my beverage. Laughing with my people and thanking the bartender profusely. I gave myself a brain freeze because of my reckless intake, but it was worth it. My mango drink was tantalizing and delightful. My mini vacation fugue ended with a baritone infused excuse me. I mumbled sorry and grabbed two mangoes which were not on my shopping list.

I’m calling or texting my people this week. I definitely need a destination vacation without a shopping cart.