Reason to SMILE #128: GROCERY SHOPPING
Of all the chores on my “To Do” list, one of the last to be checked off is going to the grocery store. I don’t like doing it and I’ll put it off til the only things in our cabinets are stale chips and Pop-Tarts® that no one likes. My boys are constantly saying, “Mo-om, there’s nothing to eat.” (Funny how my name gains a syllable when the whining starts.)
“Have some chips,” I say while opening the bag and popping a chip in my mouth. “These are still fre-”
Then spitting the chips out of my mouth as fast as I put them in, I concede, “OK. It’s time to get groceries.”
Because I live in a house with three males, the cabinets rarely stay full and though I try to make shopping trips less frequent, I end up visiting the grocery store once a week. Sometimes I’m lucky and I can delegate the task to someone else. Oh, how I love those times! Other times, I can convince my husband to go with me. This can be a blessing or a curse depending on how hungry he is. There are other times, though, when I don’t mind grocery shopping, at all. These are the times my older son shops with me.
Grocery shopping seems less like a chore when my older son tags along. We get a chance to talk about topics that are on his mind. We laugh about things that only he and I would find funny. We even plan meals that we’d like to try. But mostly, I get to listen. I get to find out what’s going on in that head of his. I get to enjoy his enthusiasm for his passions in life. I get to feed off of his excitement over new opportunities and experiences. And I get to SMILE – even in the grocery store.
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