Retrospect: the grocery incident

Self-tutoring about people and events from the past: the tutor reflects….

Earlier today I was at the supermarket, picking up a week’s worth of groceries. We’re a family of four, so the cart was getting full.

Eggs were on the list. I’d tried to get them earlier, but someone was always there first. At the end I picked them up and placed them in the cart on top of other groceries. They were positioned awkwardly, but I thought they were pretty safe.

“You should put the bread on top of the eggs,” a voice came from about fifteen feet away. Suddenly I was back in 1978, a clueless kid who needed to be told the simplest of things. I looked up to catch the familiar glare of someone decades older, scolding me that I should know better.

In a few seconds I realized I’m not eight years old and that, regardless of the scold in the lady’s voice, she had a point.

“You’re probably right,” I chuckled. I moved the cart off to the side and reorganized it as the critic recommended. For the first time in my life I realized that, even if she wasn’t nice about it and thought I was useless, the advice she gave was still helplful. I smiled as I finished rearranging the cart.

The eggs made it safely into the fridge – thanks to her? We’ll give her the benefit of the doubt:)