My girls don't get out that much. How do I know? Because of instances like this.
It was Friday afternoon and school had just ended. I took the girls to the grocery store to purchase the essentials- bread, milk, cheese, cereal, etc.
When we got to the frozen food aisle I gave them an assignment which pretty much gave them full reign. Their assignment: choose something you want for dinner since the parents were going out that night.
I should have known that this assignment would soon test my sanity, which I have very little of because I am a mother. The very long aisle was full of hundreds of choices. Who knew that making this decision required so much thought?
One entire section was just for kids. Items such as chicken nuggets and french fries or, chicken nuggets with macaroni and cheese with an assortment of desserts, were placed nicely on the shelves all looking yummy and enticing in their many colored boxes.
Then there was the Hungry Man section which really drew both of the girls in with their 2lb. meal. I mean, why not go all out?
There was also the international frozen food section that was full of choices like pizza, lasagna, Chow Mein, and enchilada's that could be purchased for consumption.
The girls also browsed through the different meat pies looking for the one that didn't have any vegetables.
They were busy looking high and low, opening and closing all of the doors, asking questions about ingredients, and consulting with one another on the perfect meal.
I realized that I had opened Pandora's box. They do not have frozen dinners very often, and now that they had their chance they did not want to blow it on the wrong item.
I gave up waiting and told them I would be shopping on the other side of the aisle where I had plenty of time to discern the best deal for frozen corn and broccoli.
I soon realized that an elderly woman had been standing there very still, for quite some time watching the girls. I immediately apologized for them taking up so much space and asked her if they were in the way. She immediately explained to me that the girls were not in the way, and that she was anxiously waiting to see what their choices would be. She had found great delight in seeing their excitement and couldn't wait to see their choices. I stood with her for a minute realizing that because I am living in the moment where I am always waiting for the girls, or hurrying to the next thing, shopping for dinner was an annoying event. The elderly lady, whose moments like this have since passed, had recognized the joy of the situation and was captivated by it all.
So, I stopped comparing prices, threw the broccoli into the cart and joined her against the wall of the freezer and watched. And yes, I was captivated too.