The Joy of Grocery Shopping

I already knew that grocery shopping was easier in Ohio than in New York. What I wasn't expecting was how much more I would enjoy it.

I've never liked getting groceries. I hated it even as a kid -- the refrigerator aisle was way too cold, I thought. As I grew older and was forced to buy my own groceries, I saw it as a chore to be completed as fast as possible. Make list, grab items, find shortest check-out line. In and out.

In New York, of course, grocery shopping was different by necessity. We often walked to the store, carrying back only the groceries we could carry in our own hands. And the store we typically visited was small. Few items, little selection. In one way this was good -- no choices meant no time pouring over what to buy. But the aisles were slim. Heaven forbid my stroller and I meet someone in the aisle coming toward us.

Now, back in Ohio, I fully appreciate the wide aisles, large selection and low prices. But what has really made grocery shopping more enjoyable is taking Edith. She sits up in the cart, fully taking in everything and everyone around her. I show her how to choose the best bananas, she waves to the other shoppers. It's fun.

I still wouldn't call grocery shopping the highlight of my week. And I still make a list, grab the items and find the shortest check-out line. I think the difference is that my long-detested chore is now a learning lesson for Edith. That's turning lemons into lemonade.