Today was the first day I ventured out to the grocery store since we’ve been told to socially isolate, stay home, and go out only for essentials. What I didn’t fully realize was that I would be attending an all-out Halloween party where all the party-goers, that is fellow shoppers, would be dealing with change – including me!
I dressed the part wearing a re-useable if-I-don’t-get-it-soiled, blue/green N95 mask, gloves and my list of needed supplies. Who wouldn’t be jazzed about attending such an event? I was so excited I was up at 3 am wondering how I might navigate this new-world experience.
The store was decorated not in orange and black, but in new signs that reminded all of us to stay a good distance apart, but they needn’t have bothered as instead of bobbing for apples we were all naturally bobbing away from each other as though we were opposing magnetic forces.
We were involved in a scavenger hunt of sorts – all looking to complete our lists. As I tooled around the aisles, I noticed that some of the items I normally buy were available, but others were not. For example, if I wanted laundry detergent today, there was no choice, there was just one kind. It was like knocking on someone’s door and yelling Trick or Treat – only the trick was if I didn’t buy it, there would be no treat later of clean laundry. However, I won the game and found all the items on my scavenger list and can now try out some new things I never would have purchased before when I get home.
It was spooky too. There were the eerie somewhat sparse aisles, others in all kinds of costumes, and the store lacked it’s normal hustle and bustle. Though I think it was a good sign that there were fewer people, maybe we’re beginning to relax a bit. The store was stocked (not fully), but it wasn’t quite business as usual.
Speaking of change, not only is grocery shopping different, but so is the way I use the products at home. I’m paying attention. Do I need to use a paper towel? Do I need to cut back on this or that. So I am conserving – making things last longer, making do and looking at life through a new lens. Not a bad thing.
Halloween can also be about things that jump out at us out-of-blue (like Covid-19) low moans, loud screams, the darkness, things we cannot see, uncertainty and more. But when we play as I do here on this page or at the grocery store – even as an adult – it makes the tedious more doable, and acceptance seem more attractive than resistance. Play can help us embrace and effect change with a bit more ease and it can even help us write a new story, or lead with a more creative and joyful voice.
Enjoy the stories and have a playful day,
Mary, The Bad Ass
PS This is day twenty-three of my thirty-one day challenge on joy.
PPS I celebrate typos typos here!
