Stopping to smell the roses, the spices, the coffee, the cooking (but not the garbage. Hurrying past the garbage.)
I’m writing this from the airport on Thursday, though I won’t be able to post it untl Sunday because my time over the next three days is jam packed. I’m waiting to fly to New York City.
I spent yesterday cooking and packing my meals for the plane trip. Plus my meditation books and my food diary. And various accouterments that pertain to my food boundaries. Plus extra food just in case. And I only fly with carry on bags. So clothes are secondary. (Though of course I brought really cute clothes. I mean it is New York. Just not a lot of them. Food is more important.)
Clearing security means some changes to a lot of my regular eating habits. For instance, no yogurt (a personal favorite of mine). It also means no glycerin-based vanilla flavor. (In case you didn’t know, glycerin in airports tends to get you stopped, swabbed and checked.) And it means packing as small as possible. Again, not the norm for me. I love to eat! I am a quantity eater.
But I’m looking forward to a few days in the city with friends. And even more, I am looking forward to grocery shopping! No seriously!
I want to go to Fairway! I want to go to little India and buy flavors and tea in the shop that smells like exotic spices. I want to go to the farmer’s market for 1 lb apples.
I’m looking forward to walking! Walking from shop to shop. Passing bodegas and fruit and vegetable stands. Bouquets of flowers on the streets.
My boyfriend takes incredible care of me. If I want something, he makes sure I get it. Whether that is over the internet, or driving to the nearest big town. But living in smaller towns means there is one store for groceries. If I am lucky, there are two. I always always always get my needs met. But living in a one store town eliminates one option I miss (just a little bit – I love my life with him). Browsing.
When I lived in New York, Saturday was a day of lazy shopping. It was about strolling. I would mosey through the markets and shops. I would leave the house in the morning, and manage to make it back home in the early evening laden with apples and cantaloupes, brussels sprouts, heads of cauliflower, bunches of greens, turnips, radishes, flavors, teas, spices, and all manner of deliciousness. It was slow and easy. There was no hurry. It was as much about the experience as it was about the haul.
I am going to miss my boyfriend this next few days. I wish he were able to come with me. And I don’t miss New York now that I’m with him. I’m much happier with love than I was with farmer’s markets. But I sure am going to enjoy a couple of days of slow shopping where I get to drink in the sights, sounds, and smells.
onceafatgirl 