Last week I made my annual pilgrimage — aka “grocery shopping at WinCo the day before Thanksgiving” — and, as usual, I returned home a little teary eyed, inspired and grateful to be living in this time and place.
The word that comes to my mind every year during this experience is abundance. Not only is there an abundance of food and options, but what touches my heart is the abundance of humanity. Walking through the aisles, I see multiple nationalities and ethnic groups. I hear different languages. I’m surrounded by people of all ages and backgrounds.
The store is crowded, and we are all getting in each other’s way, but stranger greets stranger with an apologetic smile, an empathetic chuckle or a polite “after you.” Someone I do not know reminds her friend, “Don’t forget the cranberry sauce,” and I thank her for saying so, otherwise I would have forgotten it myself.
We are churning through the store, some of us stressed out and haggard, but we are smiling and patient with each other. This is my “WinCo America,” and I love it.
