Today is just about a perfect day. Dawning clear and cool, fresh with no humidity. And the birds! Are there more of them this year chirping happily away at sunrise, or is it because I'm home there seem like more? In any case, it's a joy to awaken to gently blowing curtains, fresh air, and birdsong.
My goal today was to go out. Out. O.U.T. Off the property. This time of social distancing is hanging in there, as we go into week 7. I've been home almost as long as a school summer break, and I surmise that is the reason I'm starting to get antsy.
My outing today was to Kroger for groceries. I've been trying to shop for food only every 2 weeks, so as to minimize my time in public and to comply with government's orders to make only essential trips. As Georgia is now slowly releasing us back into the wild, various stores have opened up. My hairstylist messaged, so I have a hair appointment on Friday. Thank goodness! Talk about essential! I also hope the Library reopens as I need to return a book, and my favorite vintage store I hope reopens tomorrow, to which I have a gift certificate.
But meanwhile, I left at 6:30 am to make the senior shopping hour at 7:00, and entered with about half a dozen other people, all still wearing masks. I noticed more 'holes' in the shelves than two weeks ago, where product should be, but wasn't. The seafood stall is still completely closed, there were more than a few vegetables missing, including spaghetti squash, which I eat a lot of. (Low cal, low carb, low cost, and a lot comes in 1 squash). Mushrooms were nearly out, as well as non-perishables. Like canned beans, still low or completely out. Several other spots within the store had empty shelves too. I had a hard time thinking up new recipes on the fly when I met up with missing critical items. I lost my mojo and actually spent a couple minutes backtracking, a personal failure for me.
It's disconcerting to shop among people wearing masks and to see so many places in the store devoid of product. It seems surreal. It's also disconcerting when this happens:
The store was fairly empty. The most people I passed in the store were Click List workers gathering orders for pickup, rolling their huge carts down the aisle and trying to find suitable substitutes for the many items that weren't available on the home shopper's list. The few people I did pass were pleasant, but the shoppers' eyes were guarded and practically no one said 'hello'. (The clerks were pleasant and helpful). Kroger is a relaxed place to shop, usually. Not today, and not since the pandemic started. People just seem tense.
I needed only 1 item in this particular aisle so I pushed my cart around a corner and there was a lady standing with her cart right at the end of the aisle, examining the pickles. She was the only one in the aisle. I hadn't seen her before I swung around but my momentum forced me to continue turning the corner, she was right there. I passed her quickly. She had on a hoodie pulled all the way down to her eyebrows, a mask pulled up to her eyes, and surgical gloves as well as her hoodie being long sleeved. I went past her at a good clip in a few seconds. I slowed halfway down to look for Jiffy corn muffin mix, and she turned back and yelled at me. "SIX FEET! SIX FEET! WHAT DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND ABOUT THAT! DUMBASS!"
Social distancing doesn't mean you won't ever come near anyone less than six feet when you're in a store, it's impossible. It also doesn't mean you must have the whole aisle to yourself.
By the way she was dressed I guessed that she was a fearful person. I didn't know what to say, so I just kept looking for Jiffy mix. Later, we checked out at the same time. I noticed she didn't yell at the clerk standing next to her at the self-checkout nor the man 3 feet away on her other side waiting for his wife to do the coupons.
But it's disconcerting to be in a public place where people are dressed like you see in apocalyptic movies, and to be yelled at suddenly, and with profanity too. It wasn't a relaxing experience as it usually is. I don't think people will ever look at our neighbors and fellow citizens the same way again.
2 comments:
You've touched on an issue that I've been really struggling with lately. I can't shake the feeling of suspicion I have when I'm out in public on the rare occasions I go to the grocery store. It's like people have become the enemy. They're not, and it's not exactly suspicion I feel, but I haven't been able to define this feeling better than that.
I've wondered what this is going to do to our efforts to witness.
"the enemy" I think that says it succinctly. It's like my very presence to them feels like it will do them harm, and in a way, that is the narrative we have been told. Even asymptomatic, I could be a bringer of death. Sigh. I agree, it impact witnessing. I didn't dare go up to the lady to ask to pray for her or to tell her Jesus loves her, because her reaction was so aggressive about keeping away.
Post a Comment