The Supermarket

Who knew that one of life’s simple pleasures could be going to your hometown grocery store? What seems to be drudgery for me is an outing Daughter #1 is looking forward to on her visit from the BIG CITY. In her eyes it will be an event. The large supermarket will be a change from the small neighborhood markets where she typically shops for one meal at a time on her way back to her apartment.

As she has shown me the sites of the BIG CITY when I visit her, I plan to entertain her with our grocery shopping outing. We can purchase coffee from the barista at the front of the store to sip as we stroll through the well-stocked aisles. She will marvel at the abundance and variety while trying to figure out how much regional food (Tex-Mex) she can smuggle back in her suitcase.

While the cashier scans our purchases we will tally the points we’ve earned in a game we invented years ago on one of her trips home; it is called the “Supermarket Game.” You get a point for every familiar face you see. It is a game only fun to play in the town where you grew up.

When we exit the store with too many bags of groceries my daughter will be amazed that the store still employees “carry-out-boys/girls,” who will constantly chat us up on the way to the car. “How’s your day?” or “Are you enjoying the weather?” Pulling out of the parking lot I’ll see a smile spread across my daughter’s face.

“That was fun,” she’ll say.

“Who knew,” I’ll reply.