I wanted to be on autopilot this morning, but the grocery store wouldn’t let me. Life on autopilot is so much easier. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of thinking too much. It was the mayonnaise that did me in. Light Mayonnaise versus Low fat Mayonnaise –what on Earth is the difference? Usually, I don’t think about my mayonnaise choices. I grab the jar that I recognize and move on. This time, I made the mistake of looking too closely. And when I looked around, I saw even more choices: regular, low fat, nonfat, organic, light, olive oil, and squeezable. There were probably more, but I got out of the aisle as fast as I could. Why do they do this to us?
The grocery store does this to me all the time. Some days, it’s the absurdity of life. Why would anyone want to buy a jar of monosodium glutamate? I thought we wanted to avoid this stuff. But there it is in the spice aisle. Other times, it’s the memories that get triggered. I can relive my mistakes! Whenever I watch a mom struggle with her toddler, I think about how that was me just a few years ago. And then there are days when I’m awakened to the hardships people face. I recently learned one of the checkout ladies is widowed and had to go back to work to make ends meet. I felt so humbled by her strength and resilience. My frustrations seem so trivial in the grand scheme. Life with autopilot might be easier, but it is definitely the wrong way to go.