Wednesday, January 18, 2012

The simple act of grocery shopping

I structured my life so that I can live it simply. To that end, I have reduced my needs and have brutally excised my wants. I deliberately take pleasure in simple acts, simple scenes, and simple joys. I live slowly, intentionally. In a lot of ways, I could go simpler still. But the simplicity buck stops here, lol.

Because I don't have a hectic life, I can relish the simple (and few) errands I perform. Grocery shopping is one of those. There is a fancy-dancy grocery store 14 miles away. But a round trip of 28 to 30 miles is not wise in these gas pricey times, not to mention the temptations of being in a store with lots of extras. And finally, their prices are very high. It's simply not worth it to make the drive.

Instead, there is a mom and pop store of medium size but a good variety just a mile behind the school I work in. It takes me just about 5 minutes to get there. So I can arrive in just a few minutes and that is stress reducing.

I enjoy walking around at my leisure and choosing good, fresh food. The specials are good and I can feel secure knowing my budget can be adhered to. I know that after a long day at work that after getting the groceries, the drive home will be quick and I'll soon be relaxing.

The point of this blog entry is that any one of those are a HUGE blessing. Grocery store nearby? Blessing! It offers good, fresh, affordable food? BLESSING! Having a paycheck to be able to buy the food? Blessing! Being able to enjoy this mundane task as part of a lovely day? Blessing!

To me, living a 'a quiet life' means not just being audibly quiet, it means also being quietly content in the heart. Peace. The peace comes from accepting and thanking the blessings arising from the most mundane places. Like the grocery store.

1 comment:

Angela said...

Having had a very noisy life (partly from raising a mentally ill child), I so appreciate your blog. It helps me quiet my heart.