Today I am thankful for a last minute trip to the grocery store.

11.27.19

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Seriously? She’s kidding, right?

I know that’s what you’re all thinking. Thankful for a trip to a crowded grocery store on the night before Thanksgiving? Well, yeah. I am.

Was it the most fun shopping experience I’ve ever had? Probably not.

Were there young children melting down? Yes.

Were there grown adults melting down? Yes.

But, there were also a whole lot of people in really great holiday moods. I was on a mission for about a dozen items, and I have to say that overall, the experience was pretty darn pleasant. The produce guy joked with me when I grabbed a container of blackberries off the display he was stocking. Lots of people smiled and said, “Excuse me,” as they whizzed by with their carts – a courtesy that doesn’t often happen on regular shopping days, let alone the night before Thanksgiving. A tall gentleman grabbed a can of fruit cocktail for me that had been pushed to the very back of the top shelf. My heart was warmed by a young woman that was very patiently shopping with her elderly grandmother. And, the cashier and bag boy were absolutely cracking me up with their playful banter back and forth about the best way to cook potatoes.

I was in and out in about 30 minutes. Not bad at all.

But the real reason I’m thankful for the trip to the grocery store happened as I was leaving the store. The sun was setting and the sky was the most beautiful combination of pinks, purples and blues that I’ve ever seen. I walked out right behind another woman, who stopped in her tracks and said to me, “Well, would you look at that!” And I did. It was gorgeous. I love random moments like this when you share a brief, but meaningful experience with a stranger. We stood there in the parking lot for about 15 seconds just staring up at the sky together in amazement. Then we wished each other a happy Thanksgiving and went our separate ways. It was pretty darn cool. And I would have missed it entirely had I not waited until the last minute to do my grocery shopping.

I snapped this photo a few minutes later – don’t worry, I was at a complete stop waiting for the cars in front of me to turn out of the parking lot. The photo doesn’t even begin to do the sky justice, but it does remind me of the beauty of that parking lot moment with my new grocery store friend.