So I officially "went green" and bought a reusable shopping bag from Publix. It was a good idea at the time, only I never remember to bring it with me when I actually go shopping :) But that's ok, because I remembered it on my shopping trip yesterday, even if it was to Target.
After selecting some assorted provisions – including a 12-pack of mega roll t.p. on sale for $5, I make my way to the checkout line. I insert my Visa, sign, and then proceed to situate my items into my large green – eco-friendly! – reusable shopping bag. Drats! I’m not fast enough! The girl behind me has already been rung up and is ready to pay…I should’ve expected this from the express line! I apologize and slide away from the card machine, but my not-yet-packed ice cream and cool whip are in the way of the cashier trying to bag – in a normal plastic sack – the girl’s panty hose. So the cashier slides my items even more to the side, and I proceed to shove the mega rolls into my green bag – quickly. I try to walk away without showing embarrassment, but I just want to die.
When I was younger my mom and I would always go grocery shopping together, and when we would check out I could always count on her to say “Oh wait! I have exact change!” Back then, it seemed like everything in the grocery store stopped – no more beeps of items being scanned, no sounds of frozen food section doors closing. Just the cashier’s fingernails tapping as my mother counted out pennies. My Aunt Bobbie told me a comparable habit of my grandmother’s. Whenever the family would dine at Red Lobster, my grandma would save half of her seafood to take back to the cats. In preparation for this, she would have already packed her own aluminum foil in her purse. At the conclusion of the meal, Bobbie said that it seemed like Grandma’s foil ‘whooooshed’ across her body as she pulled it out, reflecting light across the room. Everyone in the restaurant would “suddenly stop and turn” towards the table. The waiter would always stop and ask, “Do you need a box, Ma’am?” and Grandma would appreciatively decline. If you knew my grandmother you would have to laugh, because she was just such a cute lady who always brought brightness and humor into the mundane of life.
Speaking of humor in the mundane, my water main broke Wednesday afternoon, leaving my roommate and myself with little water pressure – and then no water at all. So I run across the street to Amber’s apartment, shower, and bring back water rationings in the form of a pitcher for teeth brushing and contact cleansing. I remembered later that I had had purified water under my bed, but for some reason using my emergency supplies during this sort of emergency didn’t really catch my attention. But we did remember to take pictures so we could both blog about it. Hila took the picture above, and after I finished brushing my teeth I was supposed to bring the pitcher into the kitchen so we could take a picture of her “washing her hands” (Mine was a real action shot...hers was not, by the way!). I prance into the kitchen, ready with my camera:
“Stefanie, where’s the pitcher?”
“Oh! I forgot!” and I run down the hall to grab it.
“Stefanie, you were in charge of one thing!”
But now our water is back on, and I can brush my teeth at my own sink, and shower in my own shower. Life is normal again…and still very beautiful.
My home teacher gave me this last night :)
