On Crippling Perfectionism and Southern Grocery Stores

I recently moved to a totally different kind of place than where I lived before. I know that’s an awkward way of putting it, but I honestly can’t think of another way to say it. Things are just different here. And that’s not a complaint. I really disliked the place I lived before.

However, the differences are going to take some getting used to.

I had prepared myself for certain things: new and strange accent, culture, worldview…

One thing I hadn’t considered was grocery shopping. After 6 years of being a mom, I had finally developed a routine to grocery shopping back home. Yes, you read that right, 6 years. It took me that long to narrow my list of stores down to 2. From 5.

Uh huh – 5 stores. Every week I would drag my infant and toddler around to 5 different stores to find the best deals on the things I needed. To this day, every time we leave the house my kids think we are going grocery shopping.

Well, I did finally get my shit together and things were running rather smoothly.

Then I moved.

And I assumed grocery stores were grocery stores; I would find one I liked; they all must have caught on to the same trends, right? No, no they have not.

There is no easy way to explain what my problem is. Things are just different here. Items are different, brands are different, stores are different. And I clearly have a hard time with this change.

The differences are enough to send me into a tailspin every time I go shopping.  I have actually been near tears trying to write a shopping list.

I have adjusted to every other change that has come my way with the grace and style I for which I am renowned. But don’t mess with my food!

We’ve briefly discussed my obsessive tendencies and maybe we’ll get into my food issues at a later date.

I’ve tried farmers’ markets, health food stores, even flea markets but it’s exhausting. I cannot spend this much time thinking about what I eat.