Let’s Face It: This Is Freakin’ Weird

You can only stuff your emotions down for so long before you have to acknowledge how bizarre this all is.

Photo by Uygar Kilic on Unsplash

Earlier today I went to the grocery store, making my weekly trip for our household of six.

I arrived at the store and turned off the car. I carefully placed the loops of my protective mask over my ears, then snapped on a pair of nitrile gloves. I grabbed my reusable shopping bags and headed to the front of the store, where orange cones and a sign directed shoppers to a waiting area, with reminders to stay six feet apart.

Fortunately for me, the store’s current shopping population was under capacity, so I didn’t have to wait to enter. The cart attendant directed me to a freshly sanitized cart, and I offered a muffled “thank you” through my mask.

I pushed the cart through the aisles, observing the ever present floor stickers with the “six feet apart” reminder as I made my way carefully around other shoppers.

Still no chicken breasts.

Still nothing but an empty void where the toilet paper, paper towels, and tissues used to be.

Several shelves– especially the canned goods– had limits posted: “Limit 2 per shopper” or “Limit 4 per shopper.”