Store
I used to love going shopping. We would pack into our car (it was actually an 800cc Suzuki minivan) and struggle to find parking, because everyone wanted to go shopping at the same time.
We had our shopping lists of stuff we needed to buy for the month.
I’d push my mom around in her wheelchair and my dad and my brother would push their shopping trolleys and pack things into the trolleys. My mom would add up the costs in her head and then make her way to the cashier when we approached our budget.
The list was merely a polite guide, a gentle suggestion on what we might need, such as stocking up on essentials like meat and frozen vegetables and various canned goods. It was a list that could never be set in stone. Especially if we came anywhere near biltong or cheese.
Now in Taiwan, I love shopping, but hate going shopping. I dread stepping into a store packed with people. Online shopping is not the same as the real thing. I like being distracted by amazing things I didn’t even know existed. But if there are too many people in the store, I might windowshop for a bit before trying again later.
I feel powerful as a shopper. I can choose what I want to buy, when I want to buy, and if I want to buy. There are so many types of toothpaste to choose from, and I can choose which paste gets the honor of touching my teeth, my tongue, and my lips on the way out into the sink.
Yes, shopping has become fun for me because I do it on my terms in my own time.
How about you?
A big thank you to Tammy Evans for today’s prompt: STORE.