So What Bugs You?

On the outskirts of Cody, on the road that leads straight to Yellowstone Park, is a picture of the first of two tunnels under and through Rattlesnake Mountain.  On the other side of the tunnels is the dam at Buffalo Bill Reservoir.

I read somewhere in a magazine about a woman that reviewed her life every six months.  She would decide what was working in her life, and if something wasn't working...well, she changed it if she could.

I thought that was a pretty good idea, and decided that it is really not the big things in life that bug me as much as the little daily things...and one of the things that I really wanted to change was...grocery shopping at WALMART! 

Now I know that this may sound funny to the rest of you that live in big areas with lots of stores, but in Cody you can only buy groceries at Walmart and Albertsons.  Albertsons is way too expensive for me...but I hate shopping at Walmart.  For one thing it is just too darn big...and since they rearranged everything I can't find what I am looking for.  And to top it off, they have these Walmart TV's that play some kind of boom chuka music with a beat that just jars my nerves.  Top that off with vast hordes of people, and well...you get the picture.  Grocery shopping at Walmart was something that I dreaded and decided that it just wasn't working for me.

So today I had the bright idea that I would begin to do my grocery shopping at a grocery store in Powell, which is a smaller town about 22 miles from here.  For some reason I picked today, when it was 5 degrees, to do this, and talked my husband into going with me.  We went to the grocery store in Powell, and it was QUIET.  And the people were friendly...I ran into lots of people that I knew.  It was warm and downright cozy and I patted myself on my back because I FINALLY found the solution to my Walmart problem...until I began to notice that the groceries that I was putting into my cart were running about 75 cents to a dollar more per item than they cost at Walmart.  Bacon was $1.50 more for the same brand I bought in Cody.  My cart was about 1/4 full when I finally figured out that I can't afford to buy my groceries in Powell, and had to put everything back and listen to my husband say, "I told you so."

We headed back to Cody, and I did my grocery shopping at Walmart...and I decided that while atmosphere is important, so is paying my electric bill...so Walmart it is.

BUT...at least I considered what wasn't working for me, and I wasn't so frustrated when I shopped there today because I know now that there is no reasonable alternative.  I decided that I will just shop there early in the morning, when it is quieter and I can think. 

So my day wasn't a total waste of time...I got to have lunch with my husband in Powell, and learned that 'cozy' has a higher price that in this case I wasn't willing to pay.  But I felt good that at least I confronted something that bugged me.

So what's bugging you these days?  Is there something, maybe some little thing that you could change to put a little bit more joy in your daily life?  Maybe the cold and quiet days of January are a good time to rethink some of the little things in your life.

See you at Walmart!  DLB