Grocery Shopping During a Pandemic

I don't even know what day it is anymore.

Two weeks in, and every day already feels like a blur.

I wake up in the mornings and for a split second, I forget what is going on in the world. And then I remember, and my heart drops. This is the new "normal," that I know is temporary. But like the colic and night feedings with newborns, when you are in the thick of it, it feels like it will last forever.

Today's post is going to be a mix of my thoughts and feelings right now, plus an update on intermittent fasting with a detailed accounting of grocery shopping during a pandemic. What an agenda LOL!

First, we are all still healthy and safe. I go between feeling good about our safety, to feeling anxiety about: what if one of us gets it and needs to be hospitalized? And visitors aren't allowed at the hospitals. What if my son or daughter gets it and needs to stay in the hospital, where no one is familiar and they are scared? How can I not be with them? And what if the worst happens? OMG.... So I calm myself with the facts: we are doing everything we can to be safe. We are practicing social/physical distancing, only going out to get groceries, washing our hands, etc. None of us have any health conditions that put us at higher risk. The four of us are okay.

Intermittent fasting update: it's going much better than I expected! Is it hard waiting until noon to eat? Sometimes, yes! But it does go by pretty quickly and suddenly I'm making a tea and grabbing a protein shake from the fridge. And because I'm working from home, it's not like I'm running out the door, dropping off kids, getting to work, running around the office.... so it's pretty simple and not physically taxing just to work along on my laptop here in the kitchen. So what will happen when life shifts again and I'm back at work?

I tested this out a little bit - hear me out: we needed groceries and I prefer to do them first thing in the morning on a weekday right now. I find that our local grocery store is stocked fairly well and not too busy at that time of day. So last Friday, I texted my boss to let him know I was popping out to grab some groceries and I would be back online as quickly as possible. He's a great guy and wouldn't mind me doing this. Kind of like using my "lunch hour," you know, back in the day when I worked at work.

So I arrived at the grocery store at 10am. I only had a glass of cold water so far. I told myself, it's okay, just one step at a time and if I do feel a low blood sugar episode coming on, I have a chocolate bar in my purse at the ready.

Shopping these days is so weird, as I'm sure you all know. It's a mystery as to whether or not I'll get bananas or bread that day, depending on if they are in stock. I took these things for granted before the pandemic and now I get excited to find English muffins. As I move through the store, I am careful to give the other customers plus the staff a wide 6 foot berth. Everyone looks suspiciously at each other, like: do you have COVID-19? Or maybe it's just my imagination??

Between being super aware of physical distancing plus trying to find all the things on my list, I'm so distracted that I don't really notice the fact that I haven't eaten anything. I can find all of the items on my grocery list, except for flour. What is up with that? Is everyone stress-baking like me? Or are they thinking they need to bake their own bread? I still have some flour at home so I'm not hurting for it, but I will run out soon with all the baking I'm doing.

There are several signs throughout the store, indicating that we are allowed to buy only 2 of that particular item. This includes milk. The last time I bought groceries, I was buying for both ourselves plus a few items for a neighbour. So I bought 2 bags of milk, one for her and one for us. This time, I was only buying for us so I was able to buy 2 bags of milk for home. That made me excited! My kids drink a lot of milk.

I finally make it to the beer section and am waiting to hear back from my hubby about what kind of beer he wants. Another customer makes small talk from 6 feet away. He is standing there, holding a bag of 2% milk, also trying to choose beer. He is talking about already doing a little gardening in his yard. I've seen him before in this store, and we've talked a few times, only under normal circumstances. Who would have known the next time we would chat would be during a pandemic?

My hubby texts back "Heineken" so now I'm on a mission. There are no 6 packs available and by now, I'm so ready to get out of there that I just grab a whole case and I head to the cash. There are green stickers on the floor, indicating how far to stand to be 6 feet apart. There is now plexiglass between the cashier and the debit machine. There are only 2 people in front of me and the line moves pretty quickly. When my turn comes, I make a little small talk with the cashier. She's a young woman, maybe 20, and looks nervous when I speak to her. I wonder how many people have yelled at her over the past couple of weeks and if she thinks I'm just the next one. I tell her how impressed I am with how well stocked the store is. I tell her she is doing a great job. She smiles as she hands me my receipt.

The beer cost $50. Oops! Hope he really likes Heineken...

Pandemic or not, bagging my own groceries always gives me anxiety. I feel like I'm in the way and holding up the other customers. I try to stay calm as I pack up my things but I feel myself starting to sweat. Finally, I'm all done and leaving the store.

I get to my car and start to load the bags in the trunk. A man approaches me and I freeze. He asks how I'm doing and I say fine. Then he slowly moves on. I have heard about people getting attacked and their groceries stolen. I watch him walk down the side of my car, around the front and then walk about 5 more feet before stooping to pick up something shiny. It looks like a coin. I exhale and continue to load up my trunk, while keeping an eye on him. He walks back around the front of my car, down the side and to the trunk where I'm standing. I stop and wait, watching him closely. He grins and shuffles away down the parking lot. OMG. I slam the trunk, return my cart, and lock myself in my car. He likely has no clue how scared I just was.

When I pull into the driveway, it's 11:30am and I'm exhausted. I bring all the groceries in and put the cold stuff in the fridge and freezer as quickly and quietly as I can (hubby was on a Zoom call at the kitchen table). I leave the rest of the groceries in the bags for now so I don't make any more noise. I wash my hands well, make a tea and get out my protein shake. I sit down at my laptop, type an email, and now it's noon. My fast is over and I can eat. I made it!! And I didn't have a low sugar episode or get attacked for my groceries. It's a good start to the day.