Wednesday, August 13, 2008


WINDS OF CHANGE

Went to Safeway yesterday (note to self: Get Safeway to flippin' sponser this blog), and hadn't been there in over a week. It had changed. Significantly. It's been in the process of a major remodel, but in the week I was absent the entrance moved, the carts are in a different place, the little post office inside is on the other side now, and they added a Starbucks! I go grocery shopping at peak older population times, so it was me and the LOLs. They were not happy.

"Miss! Can you help me find __________" I heard many times.

"Crap!" one particularly spicy older woman said, "I'm so damn tired of them moving everything! I can't find anything!"

People were complaining to their shopping partners, they were complaining to the Safeway employees, and many were complaining to themselves, (or God?) out loud.

Change is hard. And so inevitable. And just when we get used to the "new" it changes again. Every. Time. And maybe it's easier to complain about the changes at our local grocery store, than to deal with the changes in our personal lives, or bodies, or families, or, or, or...

Or maybe, the complaints of not being able to find anything, are just that, no hidden meanings, no deeper truths, simply people wanting to know where things are.

When I get going on my "I hate change" tirades, I try to remember how many "Why don't things ever change?" tirades I've had. When Rojo took "forever" to move out of the toddler phase, took "forever" to be potty trained, took "forever" to be left to his own devices, safely, for more than 2 seconds, I prayed up a storm that this would all change. And eventually it did.

And you know what that boy did yesterday? That 12-year-old rode a bicycle, no training wheels, just him and his developing balance and a bike.

That's change.

That's big change.

Maybe today I'll ride with him up to Safeway.

23 comments:

hg said...

Rojo rocks!

And, I thought you blog already WAS sponsored by safeway!

Suzy said...

Rojo just does it.

He is the best!

We can all learn things from this boy!

Love him,
Love you.

Suzy

Courtney said...

My Food Emporium changed a few years ago, and I have still not gotten over it. Why mess with perfection? Some things should change, and others SHOULD NOT!!!

Ask Me Anything said...

Love the circular nature of both change and this post! Like the wheels on a bike...

Michelle O'Neil said...

Holy crap that is BIG!!!!

WOW! WOW! WOW!

Go Rojo! You 'da man!

XO

Anonymous said...

Look at all that change happenin' all over the place! Yeah for Rojo! Woo Hoo!

Maddy said...

I'm right there behind you dearie [whizzing along in the radio flyer]

If it's any consolation Trader Joes just changed the layout of everything as I discovered when I took all three of them to buy half a dozen things. It took forever, I thought I'd never escape.
Cheers

Anonymous said...

This is such happy news! Go Rojo, go. It must have felt like magic to him. Big smiles.

Everything in good time. This is really good!

Jerri said...

Oh happy day.

Oh happy da-a-ay.

(singing)

Oh happy day....

contemporary themes said...

Way to go, Rojo! Whoop! Whoop! Whoop!

What a cutie patootie!

Lola said...

Love it!
Bikes and Safeway!
xoLo

Anonymous said...

Change can be good and lead to great Things.Thank you Carrie you allways make my Day.I will take to the BIG Boss about the Sponsership LOL.You go Rojo

Jenny said...

Safeway should flippin' sponsor your blog!

Congrats to Rojo.

hg said...

best picture ever!

Nancy said...

Thank you for this reminder, Carrie. Entrenched right now in all the difficulties of adolescence with my 17 year old and praying for change. Seems I'm always one one side or the other, resisting it or wishing for it. This reminds me to be focused on the moment.

Kathi said...

Wow, oh Wow, how I needed to hear this, Carrie. I get it so much..."when will he ever..." and then boom, they change. It happens without any help from me. And all of that stress and worry could be transformed into some other kind of energy.

This is a very BIG DEAL. Love that Rojo.

Drama Mama said...

OH SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!

On a bike.

Well. I am floored. That is amazing. We are still on that path. (ahem)

Freakin' S'Way. And now a Starbuck's.

Dude.

Laughing.

Deb Shucka said...

I'll bet all those unhappy olders at Safeway would be thrilled to see that picture and to know that story. Thanks for the reminder of the sunny side of change. Big congrats to Rojo!

Michelle O'Neil said...

OH MY GOD!!! Look at that photo! Look at him go!!!!


: )

Anonymous said...

I hate it when grocery stores move things around. We have a store here that was remodeled awhile ago and I swear a drunken monkey decided where to put things. I've mostly quit going there.

Katie's changes, mine too really, are so small and take so long that it's not until I look back that I notice the change.

Go Mama said...

Go Rojo, Go!
Go big with that!

P. Gilkison said...

Whew hew, Rojo! God, that's the best. Were you whew hewing, too?

Anonymous said...

PEDAL! You know the rest.