Probably you don't stress over an ordinary trip to the store. I do. Which one, is always the first question. Costco for dog food, 8 packs of canned diced tomatoes and gigantic packages of individually wrapped toilet paper rolls (I get very nervous when down to only 6 rolls). Trader Joe's for toasted slivered almonds, channa masala, Soycatash and Greek yogurt. Safeway for Cool Whip and ice cream. Oh, never mind. Off ice cream for a while, have gotten a little fluffy again. Whatever, I decided to go to Target, because I needed exfolliating lotion and was searching for a more comfortable vegetable peeler (see illustration above). Now, the old one still works fine. It just hurts my hand. And I like to make homemade cinnamon applesauce with just a little Stevia, low in calories and yummy with a dollop of Greek yogurt for a snack, or even dessert. And I had been watching a program on design, (in keeping with my current pop guru, Daniel Pink, using the right side of my brain) and saw that there really was an alternative to my prosaic little utensil out there. Many, many alternatives, I found. I chose Kitchenaid's offering, mostly because the other sweet little things were in colors that clashed with my kitchen. Bliss for $7. Then I noticed, once again, that Target carries groceries! I had a moment of but-its-probably-not-local-or-organic and spent a few instants pondering the carbon footprint, and decided it was preferable to driving my partial-zero-emissions vehicle across the parking lot to Trader Joe's, and, hey, it was raining! They even had one container of my favorite Greek yogurt left. I took that as a definite sign that I was okay there. Then I remembered my reusable grocery bags were still in the car, parked out on the north forty of the parking lot. Well, nuts. I shopped there anyway. Standing in line, I noticed this sign on the wall, stating that Target donates 5% of its income to the community. Big sigh of relief. That expiated any guilt I had previously been suffering. I took my jaunty red and white plastic bags home, and promptly put them in my recycling can. I spent a few moments admiring my new peeler. Taking it for its innaugural spin soon.
1 comment:
It's amazing how we have all learned to harbour these guilt reactions to our chosen lifestyles, but I take it as a good sign that the human race is attempting to become grown up and responsible, realizing that we have to give back and not take so much. Remembering to do everything correctly and in an eco friendly manner can be daunting but it gradually becomes habit and sets a good example for others to see. Love the new peeler!
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