Today was a super market Friday but one of those different ones that feel closer to a treat than a chore. With the in-laws in the house, Yiota and I decided to make a whole night out of the necessity of grocery shopping. I guess I should explain where this is coming from….
The latest tradition in the household is Super Market Fridays. Well, at least for me and occasionally for the kids. Chrysanthi likes to join me from time to time and she gets the chance to pick a snack for the whole gang. Athanasia is more reluctant to get dressed and leave the house, but she enjoys the occasional joyride of going up and down the shopping aisles. Finally Thanasis, will only join me if he has to or if his older sister persuades him to. He will follow them to the store, thinking it would be more entertaining than staying at home alone, and he gets to be a little cheeky in the process. Unless the tv is on, in which case nobody moves away from the couch, and they all leave me alone with the responsibility of making all the right choices.
The children stayed at home watching Friends on Netflix, for God knows which time, and the parents took the reusable bags and drove away to the shop. A series of treats was of course involved:
Heated seats in the new car! The cold weather is a great excuse for us to push the button and electronically warm up out buttocks. Feels comfortable and exciting and quite new as well. The perks of a newly purchased used car!
Uninterrupted discussion about the holiday events, without inventing secret codes and references trying to hide who we are gossiping about. We talked about our guests and the way they affect our feelings and all that without having to name anyone “you-know-who” and without having to get off the train of thought just to respond to “tell her to stop, mum”.
The option of a pub-stop. Having done our essential grocery shopping, the muscle memory leads us to drive home, put the groceries away, and efficiently lead everyone to their beds. Well, tonight we had the opportunity to break the pattern and ask each other:
- Shall we go to the pub for a beer?
- Huh?
- Yes, we can go to the pub and nobody can stop us!
- Wow, of course! How come I didn’t think of that?
Well, we didn’t think of it because we have never done it before in our nine years in the UK. It is not in our DNA and it is has been an impossibility with three young ones and all these obligations. Well, tonight was our night! Two drinks each, two bowls of chips and some meaningful conversation later, we were relaxed, satisfied, and on our way home.
It is very easy to forget the impact of the simple pleasures of life. It is not the alcohol that loosen us up, it is not the physical distance from our problems, it is not the different environment that we encounter. I think, it is the effect all the above have on us and allow us to connect, to talk and to listen.
Sometimes the result is not part of the happy path. We have all heard the dreaded “we need to go somewhere and talk”, which translates to “we are going somewhere public and I will tell you all the ways you are making my life miserable”. But just imagine the weight that a person may be carrying but need to unload, think about all the issues that remain silent and buried every day but need to be voiced, think about all the pressure that is placed in the hearts and souls of those around us but need to release. Everyone have different methods, tools and capabilities for release, and everyone is seeking for their different opportunity to convey their message across.
If you ask me what I need, I will tell you:
Space.
Time.
Breath.
Silence.
Space and time to breathe, space and time to be silent. I felt that tonight was one of the best nights of this holiday season, with quiet excitement, with space to think and speak and communicate, with freedom to breathe, with time to waste over chips and a pint, and with the security that the family is safe at home.
Yes, this is the life!