DREAMS AS OPPOSED TO REALITY...

 

The date was Monday, March 26, 2021,

 and on that date,

the Captain and I were free of the constraints

 (except for the mask and social distancing) of Covid-19.  

We had taken our second dose of the vaccine 

and the waiting period of 

two weeks was up. 

 This was a time that I had dreamed about

 after one whole year of life 

being not what we were used to. 

 Now, if you know me, 

you know that I am pretty much a homebody anyway, 

so the whole idea of staying at home, 

for even a whole year,

 was not disagreeable to me at all.

  I admit that there were times 

when I missed going 

out to dinner, or out shopping,

 or even just getting dressed, 

and especially going to see the kids. 

But times were hard 

and I certainly didn't want my actions

 to add anything to the overall problems.

 

 I am a very good rule follower.

In my mind,

 for quite some time,

 I wanted only one thing.  

That was to go to Trader Joe's

 and buy a big armload of fresh flowers.  

That might seem like small potatoes

 to most of you

 but to me that was all

 I could dream about.  

Tim is still waiting for his second shot 

so I knew the kids would not be 

the first place we could go safely. 

 My dear friends were planning 

on going out to lunch, 

like in the good old days, 

but I don't feel safe

 going to any restaurants yet, 

so that left 

just a simple, selfish little thing

 that I could do to dip my toes 

back into the waters of living

Trader Joe's is quite a drive for us,

 so at the last minute 

I decided to go to our local Safeway. 

 The store has been around for awhile 

although it being on 

the opposite side of town from us, 

I hadn't shopped there 

too many times in the past.  

It has a fantastic fresh flower department 

and as that was my main objective,

 I thought that would be a more safe and sane outing for the first time.  

We arrived wearing masks

 and prepared to follow all the rules 

of the one-way aisles and standing spots.

I had talked to Tami 

on the phone the night before 

and told her my plan.  

She reminded me that

 approximately one year ago to the day 

was the first time they had came up 

to do our grocery shopping for us 

and this was the same Safeway

 that they shopped at.

  It was where she picked up

 the tall Easter bunny

 as a gift for me

 and she thought that

 they probably had some more 

really cute Easter gifts available this year.  

My shopping and decorating juices

 were fueled and I was ready to go.

The minute I walked into the store,

 I knew this was going to be a big mistake!  

There were so many people shopping

 and I felt like a caged animal

 with everybody in the world

 breathing down my neck.  

Everyone was masked and staying on their designated spots

 but there were plenty going 

the wrong way up the aisles. 

 The aisles are not the widest

 and the shelving is very tall along the sides, 

so when coming upon another shopper 

I felt hemmed in. 

 To show you how paranoid I was feeling,

 I thought a man 

was following me too closely

so I turned around 

to give him a piece of my mind

 and...never mind, 

it was the Captain!

 Now, let me say right now, 

I suppose for the first time out

 a grocery store was not

 the brightest idea.  

Who likes to go 

to the grocery store 

in normal times anyway? 

 I know I sure don't 

 but, after one year, 

maybe my memory has dulled a little. 

 

I did get some gorgeous flowers. 

 They remind me of 

sunshine and everything 

that is beautiful.

  I have been showing them as we go along 

so there is an overload but 

they are the star of the show 

and after a whole year of dreaming,

 they did not disappoint. 

 I arranged them in the same spot 

but in three separate white pitchers. 

It seemed like 

they could shine better this way, 

and shine they do,

 like a bright

 golden promise.

In the background, 

you may have noticed a portrait 

hanging over the kitchen shutters.  

This is Great Aunt Hen-riEtta.

  I pictured her hanging 

on a nail, in the attic,

 covered with spider webs. 

 Bring her down,

 clean her up

 and...

...in reality, 

I found her on Antique Farmhouse 

and although she wasn't the right color, 

I had a vision of what she could become 

and with the addition of some red paint

 and surrounded by an oval frame

 there you have it...

instant ancestor!

Now, you know the story

 of what happened on 

Monday, March 26, 2021. 

 Was it a day worth

 waiting and dreaming about?

 If you see only the pretty flowers, 

you might say yes, yes it was.

  If you read between the lines, 

you might see that I am just not ready 

to venture out into the world just yet

 and that is OK.

  If you read further between the lines,

 you might notice that there were 

no pretty Easter items to be found.

  Had there been,

 it might have been a 

whole different story!

 Even a year's time 

can't dull the shopping instinct.

Stay Smart

Stay Well

Wear the Mask

...Judy...

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Love Your Creativity at Life and Linda