Thursday, May 1, 2008

Grocery store goodness

I never thought being at Hy-Vee could be so nice.

But tonight I went alone.

I got to use the big girl cart that wasn't extra long, impossible to steer and shaped like a firetruck. I got to stop and look at things that caught my eye.

No one talked me into buying popsicles shaped like Shrek like that three months later are still unopened in our freezer.

I walked more slowly. I looked around. I thought things to myself!

I smiled knowingly at the other mothers there WITH their children.

One was instructing her son, who was maybe 4, how to pick out the unblemished apples. After great care, the boy finally chose four.

And then his sister, maybe 2 and sitting in the cart, dropped them all on the floor.

Meanwhile, I serenely chose between the ripe avocados.

In the cereal aisle, I compared prices. I noticed that several cereals of my youth have gone and changed their look! Total Raisin Bran is now sleeker, shinier, perhaps a bit more purple.

It's these sorts of details I normally miss.

The best part, though, was that I spent time in the tiny, pristine health-food area. The aisles are small there. Seriously. The fire truck cart doesn't fit. And it's one of those areas I just want to look. I'm one who likes to peruse the options before making a choice.

Tonight, I got to. I indulged in about seven minutes in the healthy little section. I came away with two jars of organic salsa, yellow corn organic tortilla chips and one tube of energy gel for the half marathon on Sunday.

I was happy.

5 comments:

bryan said...

a tube of energy gel? I didn't know it came in a tube. I just have the packets. Dozens of them.

Jack is still small enough to ride in the regular cart, so we cruise all over when we go on Monday mornings.

morgetron said...

Grocery shopping sans kids is definitely a guilty pleasure of mine as well.

Let me make something very clear here too:

I.hate.gimmicky.carts.

They steer about as easily as a freight train. They are all coated in some sort of grease-diaper-slobber compound.

I know ALL carts and really ALL public surfaces are gross and I try not to think about it too much, but it's too hard to ignore when you can see it and ... *shudder* feel it.

Whew! Sorry about that rant ... you struck a nerve.

Congrats on your solo outing.

:)

Jonathan said...

The first thing I did when I read this post was Google what the Hy-Vee was (I inferred that it was a grocery store but I wanted a little more information). Having figured that out, I will agree that walking around the grocery store can be pretty enjoyable. Sometimes I joke with my wife that I had a pleasant evening shopping with her and that we should have "dates" like this more often. :) Keep up the good posts Veronica; I'm already itching to go down the natural aisle at my local grocery store where I can breathe in the smell of all-natural orange cleaner and pick out a few tasty treats.

Kirsetin Morello said...

Oh, I love it. After being a parent for 11+ years, it is still a joy to grocery shop alone. Funny, considering that I never really enjoyed it before...sort of shows how things change, doesn't it?!

Veronica said...

Thanks for your comments everyone!

Bryan, I meant packet.

Morgetron, love your post. And, yes, I completely agree on the gimmicky carts. The worst is when I agree to let him use one and then three minutes later, he says, "I don't want to 'drive' anymore. I want to walk."

Jonathan, I had no idea anyone wouldn't know what Hy-Vee was! Sorry! Yes, it is a grocery store. We have lots of them here.

Barbie and Kirsetin, yes, grocery shopping was not my idea of a peaceful event before. Now, definitely. Thanks for stopping by.