Groceries

One of the things I love about where my daughter lives is the proximity to a beautiful, big grocery store. In Pennsylvania, the brand is "Giant" and the name is apropos because the place is enormous. They have the bakery section where we can buy everything from fresh bread to donuts and muffins, a deli to die for, and a huge produce section where everything in the world is available. And of course there are beauty products, greeting cards, and a florist as well, so its pretty much one-stop shopping if necessary. With wide aisles and clean floors its like every woman's dream.

All that said, I'm always grateful to get home to my little IGA. Because whenever I walk into that Giant I am tempted in ways I never face at home. The smells of the bakery seduce me and I buy cupcakes or muffins, each one large enough to feed a small army. In the cereal section I see things I've never tasted before and the cracker section beguiles me with choices. I find myself pulling things off the shelf that I would never indulge in at home. My caloric intake probably triples when I'm in residence at my daughter's.

I would like to think that if I were shopping there on a regular basis I would learn to show some restraint. But I'm not sure. Because I avoid shopping at the local King Kullen for the same reason. I always come home with things that were not on my list. So I stick to my little IGA supermarket, with few choices and no new, exciting items to grab my attention and divert me from my mission. For people like me, with little will power and weak resolve, small is definitely better. Or, less is more. I'll enjoy it this week and most probably buy more donuts than should be allowed by law. But then I'll go home to my little neighborhood grocery and back to reality.