Shopping Cart Pile Up

This blog is about being transparent. At least it is for me. And in all transparency, I am not okay right now. A functioning member of adult society? Yes. Okay? No. But in the spirit of being a functioning member of adult society, I had to take a trip to the grocery store to get food.

Since I was only picking up the bare necessities for my week, I wanted one of those smaller shopping carts. For one thing, they are cute. And I figured it would stop me from going overboard with the impulse snack purchases. When I rounded the corner, I was delighted to see that there were tons of the small cart available. Usually, there are only one or two.

As I started to push my little cart away, I noticed that one of the wheels was misshapen. The cart bounced and I had to put in a little extra effort to keep it going. No problem. Plenty to choose from. The next cart was even more off balance. Carts three and four seemed to have a locked wheel. Did I mention that I am not okay right now? Okay. Let me finish my story.

As I am debating internally about just pushing this crazy cart four, a man walks in, grabs the next small cart, and is off without a hitch. His cart is sailing along like it just came off the assembly line. At that moment, I decided that I was not pushing cart four around. I wanted a smooth ride too! I pried apart two carts and gave one a tentative push. No issues. I walked a little further to be sure. Yup. This guy was a keeper.

I am sure that the cashiers in the grocery store probably thought I looked crazy. I mean, let’s face it, I DID look crazy. I was so close to just settling for a good enough cart. I did not need it for much. I was already not feeling my best. But seeing someone walk around with a grade A cart triggered something in me. I do not have to push around every battered and lopsided cart. While I cannot choose everything that life throws my way, I can be intentional with the choices that ARE entirely in my hands. Like that cart.

I pray that you get premium parking and short waits in checkout lines. I pray your shopping carts roll smoothly down the aisles. And I pray that you find reasons to be grateful even when you are not okay. #wepreach