When I was young, my mom kept the pantry in our kitchen stocked with soups and pasta, cereals and canned vegetables, so that in the event of a disaster, our family of six would have likely been able to survive for a couple of months at least. We were probably ‘enders’ before it was in vogue to be so. That overflowing double door pantry was the norm for me, so when I got married, I did not realize I was carrying the expectation that my new home would be the same. I was also unaware of the work it takes to fill the pantry to a level where we never run out of ketchup, mayonnaise, A1 steak sauce or ranch dressing. There are always backup bottles in the pantry.
I recall the first time my wife, Kate, asked me to run to the grocery store and pick up some napkins. I looked at her cross-eyed. “Just get them from the pantry,” I smugly suggested. When she retorted that we had run out, I almost fainted. Not in a Stankavage pantry!
It was at that moment that we adopted my mom’s stocking system and over the years we are much improved. I am proud to say that she even comments on how well stocked we are. But old ways must be challenged by nuances at times, such as a day at the beach recently that was both humorous and insightful, deserving of mention.
I had just been sent on an 8-item grocery run and my brother, Bruce, agreed to accompany me. There we stood, just inside the door of the local beach grocery store, crinkled list in hand. I felt as if we were contestants on The Amazing Race. Being the older brother by 7 years, Bruce looked to me to announce the plan of action, which had been historically appropriate for a younger brother in most matters. However, 25 years ago, the natural order of things took a turn, and I began looking to him. I began to see and realize that my ‘little brother’ was an accomplished, bright, talented, and strong young man who offered considerable amounts of wisdom for my benefit, not only in basketball and golf, but also fatherhood, real-estate deals, and our faith. That realization 25 years ago ushered in more growth and maturity than I thought possible, and I began to seek my little brother’s opinions and insights, for he was and is a trusted and true ally; a man of great support, encouragement and help all these years.
Back to the grocery store, which would be the scene of his next insight to me. As I was standing in the middle of the store looking up to read the signs at the end of each aisle, trying to figure out where the milk, butter, Redi-Whip, beer, garlic, Cheerwine, cantaloupe and half and half were located, Bruce made a profound suggestion, “Scott, when faced with this situation, I have determined that no matter how small your shopping list, it is most efficient to just start at one end of the store and go up and down every aisle with an eye out for the items on your list. It inevitably saves time instead of going back and forth across the store and half way down many aisles several times and back.”
I stopped, did some quick calculations from my previous grocery store experiences, and when I was about half way through those mental gymnastics, I decided to trust my little brother and his wisdom.
Down the frozen food aisle at the end of the store we started, and after strolling every row (with the exception of employing him to get the cantaloupe in the fruit section), we met at the checkout and proceeded to watch the lady take our items from the cart, scan, and bag them. When she asked us the obligatory question of ‘did you find everything alright’ I smiled and said, “For the first time in my life, yes, I did. Thank you!”
*****A side note: both Bruce and I agreed that the self-checkout was not efficient for shoppers like us, because 100% of the time we have to ask for help. We were sure that waiting in line to be checked out by a true professional was a better way to go.
Upon returning home, we walked in the door proud of our successful and timely grocery store trip. Our wives greeted us with the standard ‘what took you so long?’ Fortunately, Bruce and I had prepared our response in the car on the ride home, “long lines.” We glanced at each other, happy to have gotten every item on the list and feeling self-satisfied in our new EVERY AISLE method of grocery store navigation.
I hope this insight brings a new strategy, as well as a smile to your face both now and at your next trip to pick-up those few items not found in your beyond stocked pantry.
Amen and AMEN.