Memories from the produce aisle

For some reason the task of doing the grocery shopping for our home has always been my job. It has its advantages...like buying things I like to eat ( ...like those pricey Soy rice cakes) and avoiding things I don't (fish cakes..yuk!). Since I do most of the cooking, I guess it makes sense that I am the one collecting the ingredients. I really do enjoy going and I have developed a system that to make the "Grocery Store Experience" a more pleasant one.

No kids is essential- add kids to the equation and a quick in and out to grab some milk is easily turned into a 20 minute "dad can we get this...." battle of wills.
Know your store- If I need a bunch of things and time is a factor, I avoid going to a store I am unfamiliar with. The additional time spent searching shelves for that "imported jar of curry paste" in the new store is a total waste of time.
Have a Plan- I have a grocery list that includes the names of the foods we commonly buy and have organized them into the corresponding isles in my grocery store. Example: In my store the Fruits and veggies are in the first isle, so they are first followed by the other sections I pass as I weave my way through the aisles...may seem a bit nuts, but it eliminates having to back track.
Meal Planning- I always grocery shop based on what meals I am planning, otherwise I am just buying a bunch of stuff that may not equal a meal.

Enough of that stuff though, this was not what this post was even about. What can I say, I am easily distracted. Anywho, back to the real topic of the post...

Yesterday as I was grocery shopping... (incidentally, with no kids, at my store, a list in hand and Chicken Cesar Salad with wild rice on the menue) ...a song came on the radio and it immediately brought me back to a very vivid memory from last years trip.
It starts just moments after piling into Gerry's Jetta, as we began winding our way up the bumpy gravel road that heads out of Brent. As both of us sit silently brimming with the pride of completing our first canoe trip, Gerry switches on the radio. The song "Crusin" by Huey Lewis and Gweneth Paltrow starts to play and although never a fan, for me this song perfectly preserved this moment in time and all the emotion attached to it.

Back at the grocery store...as I listen to the song, I am flooded with details that until then were unavailable memories. Like the way the sun cut through the thick web of trees, at times almost blinking Morse Code. Or the smell of the freshly cut trees....or the sound of the air as it passed by my arm. But most of all, I remembered how good it was to know that I was going home to see my family.

I have attached a the song below. It makes me feel really good just hearing it, so if nothing else, now I know where to look if I need a reminder of happier days.