Grocery Shopping

I walked to the grocery store yesterday evening.  Grocery shopping has become an experience for me and less of a chore.  It's nine blocks away and about half of the walk is along a big, active city park.  Last night the local minor league baseball team was also playing at the stadium across from that park so the streets were even more active than usual.

That walk to and from the grocery store forces me into the present moment as I take in all the life around me and the beauty of this city.  It slows me down.  And one thing I've discovered about a walkable life is that getting out and putting one foot in front of the other calms my nervous system and makes me more prepared to handle the challenges of life.  My grocery shopping routine only adds to that.

It will be a different path when I move to Atlanta but I will still be less than a mile from my grocery store so that I can continue this routine.

I've invested in a really good cart to make transporting the groceries so easy.  The brand name is CLAX.  It is a German-made product that is durable and collapses flat to store easily under my bed.  It came with one removable and collapsable crate for the top and I bought a second for the bottom.  When my now ex-husband and I split, as silly as this may sound, this was the item I cared about the most as we divided our possessions.

One thing I love about this cart is that there really is no need to bag anything so I don't have to worry about disposing all that single-use plastic or remembering to bring my own cloth bags.  I don't even use the single use produce bags unless they are necessary for a lot of really small items or something more sensitive like lettuce.  Avocados, cucumbers, large tomatoes, etc. go directly in my cart.  Another thing I love about this cart is that it can be wheeled directly into my kitchen so that groceries can be put directly away.  

It's also a really interesting conversation piece.  Checkers, cashiers, other shoppers - rarely does a grocery store trip occur without some comment from someone.  Since regaining my energy after the divorce, I have actually come to enjoy those little interactions with strangers.  It makes me feel more connected to a community.

Remembering where I parked

I lost my car yesterday.  No, it wasn't really lost.  It was exactly where I had left it three weeks earlier.  I just couldn't remember exactly where that was.  My car's app shows me a physical location but doesn't have elevation so it is only so helpful in a seven level parking garage.  So at least there was some comfort in knowing it was close.

The problem is that I misread that location information in the app.  And so as I climbed the staircase and poked my head out on each level to look in the direction where I thought it should be, I got discouraged as I reached the top level without any sign of it.  So I did the only other thing I knew to do - circle the entire parking garage.

It's interesting because when I came across a car that looked like my car, I doubted myself because it isn't a location I usually park in.  I walked around to the back to see the license plate and then went to see if the door would open before I finally believed I had found it.

I'm usually better than this.  I usually read my car's app better.  I usually park in the same three or four areas.  It almost becomes a game, a treasure hunt because of how little I drive.  It's now mid-May and I think I've only driven four or five days this year.  I guess this is just the price to pay for such a walkable life.

Some day I dream of getting rid of my car but I'm not sure I'm there yet.  I really like road trips and weekend trips.  Sometimes I just need to get out of the city and immerse myself deeper in nature.

An expansion of my walkable life

After my post last month about reviving this blog, I had plans to reflect on the ways I love my walkable community - my experience grocery shopping, the evenings I put on my shoes and just wander into venues for drinks and dinner, the birdwatching on my commute, the live music I can listen to from my living room when I open the windows, etc.

And then the change I have been waiting for happened faster than I ever could have imagined.  I figured there would be more of a process, a warning, a chance to process before it all happened but that was not meant to be.  I have accepted a job offer in Atlanta and will soon be leaving Birmingham behind.  This is a promotion.  It's a chance for a new start.  I think the distance will push me into the next phase of healing from my divorce.  I am ready.  I am beyond excited.

I've secured an apartment in Midtown.  It backs out onto Piedmont Park and is walking distance from one of my favorite places, the Atlanta Botanical Garden.  I'll have easy access to the MARTA, grocery stores, restaurants, entertainment, etc.  This will be an expansion of my current walkable life.