Trader Joe’s on a Sunday

Sometimes ideas pop into my head and disappear in milliseconds before I even have the chance to put them on paper. 

Other times, something registers and my brain fixates on it for a full day before it comes time to pick up a pen. 

Since I got to Trader Joe’s on the finest of Sunday mornings yesterday, an initial thought has slowly but surely blossomed into a string of them that I cannot shake. It might have something to do with me just having come back from my very last college spring break and realizing that the class of original COVID seniors, my class, has an impending graduation date inching closer and closer. Everything feels a little heavier, a little more nostalgic, and a whole lot more sentimental lately. Maybe that’s just me, but I doubt it.

Anyway, I began my Sunday errand running by treating myself to a trip down the aisles of 2nd and Charles because it sits two doors down from my happy place of a grocery store. I was hopeful I might pick up some new reads from the $5 and under section ($30 and three books later)… I’d consider myself mildly successful. As I approached those unmistakable red letters towering over the floral-scented entryway to TJ’s, I found myself feeling really freaking grateful for the beauty of such a start to my day. 

How lucky am I to live in a world where simple human routine and small joys can be so worth celebrating?

That’s the thought that first ran through my mind and spiraled for hours to come.

But seriously. 

As the silly little human beings we are, we have opportunities to make decisions about the sorts of routines we want to follow. Or the lack of routines that we want to pursue. I often find myself caught between the two poles as I get a bit flighty and never want life to become too monotonous and repetitive; though, I appreciate a habitual trip to pick up the shaved brussels and spicy corn salsa from Trader Joe’s every other Sunday (give or take). 

We are constantly reminded to sit in the present moment and be grateful for where we are in whatever capacity that may be or space we may be in. I usually find myself reminded of this most during these silly little in-between moments. It’s when I see just how many other silly little humans had the same idea to come to the same place to get the same yummy snacks and pretty flowers. Maybe it’s just to feel a sliver more “put together.” Maybe it’s to exchange some words with the workers who ALWAYS seem to be made of sunshine. Or maybe it’s just because sticking to a routine that brings us comfort is a hard thing to waver from at times. 

Though I’m currently in my last semester of college- something I clearly cannot hold back from addressing (two months on the dot from graduation)- I intend to seek these feelings of gratitude for moments of consistency and comfort that couple with routine, regardless of the stage of life I’m in. I hope that I continue buying the same dark chocolate peanut butter cups and the world’s greatest protein bars (GoMacro) for as long as I live near a Trader Joe’s. And once I don’t, I can’t wait to seek out my next source of routine fulfillment and share it with anyone who cares as well. 

For me- it’s watching the young family coming from church stock up for the week. It’s noticing the college kids in their oversized t-shirts snatching the last of the frozen meals. It’s seeing the elderly couple pick out their perfect bouquet of flowers, and observing the couple in their early 20s follow suit just behind. 

Watching lives pick up where others leave off and observing the way every person so meticulously crosses over with everyone else reminds me of just how united in both our similarities and differences we are. Whether we’re talking about Trader Joe’s, or Sundays, or going to Trader Joe’s on a Sunday… life is filled with moments to slow and appreciate the simplicity of how happy familiarity can make us. This is especially true when in the midst of trying to figure out the unknown as I’m in the stage of doing. 

Oh how fun it is to be a silly little human being. Don’t forget to celebrate that today in itself. Remember that it’s okay to sit with the current version of yourself and your life today because with stillness often comes change, just around the corner.

Sincerely,

SB