Every Sunday we go grocery shopping and get enough to cook our meals at home from Sunday to Thursday. Friday and Saturday we eat leftovers or go out. This week we were one meal short so the conversation went something like this:
Me: “Hey I am leaving work, going to mail a package to Lulu and fill up with gas. What are we going to do about supper?”
Billy Bob: “Doesn’t matter to me”
Me: “In or Out?”
Billy Bob: “You decide”
Me: “Okay, In. I’ll call you when I get to the store”
I made record time even though I took the scenic route up East Houston, all the way from my office downtown to the post office next to Sam Houston High School. The drive was most enjoyable. Part of the way I was driving on historical streets of Dignowity Hill, San Antonio’s first exclusive residential suburb, predating King William and Laurel Heights. The area was settled by Dr. Anthony Michael Dignowity, a physician and Czech immigrant. That speaks to me y’all, it really does but I guess you didn’t expect a history lesson here during the story called “Creatures of Habit” but oh well, belated rabbit hole alert :).
The murals on some of the places I passed were exquisite. One in particular had the faces of several young women with the caption “The choices you make today, create the person you become tomorrow”. WOW, that speaks to me too! I want Lulu to see that. Make good choices. Women Power! Sing it Helen Reddy :). If I was not one to follow the rules, I’d have snapped some pics from my cell phone as I drove by. Public Service Announcement: IT CAN WAIT! My memory will have to do.
I eventually passed by the AT&T center and then I passed by Kilrea and Skelton streets, Billy Bob’s old stomping grounds. He lived there from birth until 5th grade. The neighborhood was completely different from the way it was in the late 60s and early 70s but underneath the facade, I saw the original. I could picture him with the neighborhood gang, riding bikes and otherwise enjoying life. I could almost hear their laughter.
As good fortune would have it, no wait at the post office, or the gas station either. Onto the store. When I got there, I called Billy Bob and threw some suggestions at him yet still he says “you decide”. I said “fine, I hate choosing but I will and I’ll be home by 5”. He said “uh ya right, good luck!” I have several grocery shopping stories from this particular place yet it is my known enemy and I face it all the time. I never know what I will encounter and saying I’d be home by 5 really was an energetic goal. But today, the grocery gods were shining down on me. Again, no line and with self check out well, ba-da-bing! I was home by 4:45!
As always, more to come.
J-Dub's Grin and Bear It 