STOP! Make it all stop! When did this happen? When did my life become such a blur of responsibility and checklists? On the way to the store I actually found myself wishing the light would turn red so I could just stop for a minute! The days fly by in a blur and I am losing sight of the dreams and hopes I carried for so long that once propelled me forward. Those same dreams and hopes have been left back on aisle 9 as I hurry through the next thing so I can stop. Make it all stop!
The choices that surround me on all sides have become almost crippling. My soul longs for a simpler time of a need that was easily filled by one or two choices not hundreds! I doubt and question myself as I search reviews and circulars for the best, the cheapest, the most reviewed item that is sure be the perfect fit. As I’m hunting for my post-worthy prize, I’m distracted by the constant whirl of information that begins to cave in around me.
Now the path is cluttered, noisy and riddled with things that are touted to make this all easier! The abundance of choices is overflowing in every aisle, so much I can barely navigate around them. I want out! I want different. I want simple. I want it to stop.
Oh, the thrill of riding in the cart, the colors, the lights, the noise! I love shopping days! It’s like a private tour through a rainbow with samples and promises of sweet treats. Everywhere I look is fun and excitement that is just within arm’s reach. Its so fun to get out of the quiet and boring house where nap-time seems to be around every corner. My day is plotted and planned with loving care, but do they not realize I was meant to run and fly. I was meant to discover this beautiful world and all it has to offer!
If I look to the right, I see layers of bottles in all shapes and sizes and I imagine stacking them carefully to only run through them and watch them scatter and roll all around. If I stack them just right and stand on the other side maybe my puppy will knock them over and we can giggle as he tries to find his footing on all these rolling containers of fun!
When I look to the left, I see green upon green, a green I’ve never seen anywhere else. It’s the kind of green that makes me feel sticky. I close my eyes and I see my bathtub filled with the gooey green sweet stuff. It tastes sweet when I lick it and it makes my hair stand-up in funny shapes. Mom doesn’t like the green ring it will leave around the tub but I’m sure one of the bottles on the other shelf will help take that all off. How fun to soak and splash in all that green!
I love how the cart turns and rocks me back and forth through each row. Sometimes it stops suddenly when she accidentally runs into one of the obstacles, that’s especially fun!
She doesn’t seem to be having as much fun as me and I don’t understand why. How could you not love all the flutter of noise and color. Doesn’t she all the other people in their carts having fun as they race around the course? Why does she get upset each time I try to put things in the cart? Why is it bad to touch everything and wonder how it tastes? How come she’s sad in a place like this? How come we can’t fly and show the other teams how fast we can be? Why does she keep telling me to stop? More, lets do more! Faster! Don’t stop!
Image: Robert Gates
Text: Suzi Tasker
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