New Meat

I get into routines easily, or at least that is true of some routines. I don't manage to get up bright and early every day, and generally do no better than getting up when I have to most days. I struggle also to remember my plan to not eat in my room. Still, there are those things that I do well enough. I get a blog post up every day, and I stick to meals pretty well (although it might be argued that this is no virtuous routine).

As I related recently, I went with two slices of turkey rather than just one for my sandwiches. That had been brought about by something of a disruption. Another such change happened recently. Like most people, I shop for my groceries alone. I assume that is the case, anyway. The other night, I found myself at the grocery store with two others because the driver needed something there and refused to take us to a restaurant drive-through.

When alone, I devote an unusual amount of time and thought to selections that conceivable would break routine. It's easier to stick to the exact same items, because I can circumvent that thought and be out of there faster. I desire nothing more than to escape the nightmare of shopping. I'll settle for things I don't want because they have to be better than remaining in the store a moment longer. My skin begins to crawl and I have to get away.

This time, I had an even more pressing perceived incentive to decide quickly in the form of my friends. Knowing that they could finish their shopping at any moment, I had to decide quickly. After all, they might simply check out and go outside without a word to me. Never mind that the store was no more than half a mile from my home, the consequence of finishing after them was the awkwardness of checking out and then locating them again. So it was that instead of buying turkey for my sandwiches, I bought ham.