Grocery Carts.

I was at the grocery store the other day.  I had my list, and I was sticking to it.  I started with the fresh produce and loaded up the bottom of the cart.  I then  headed over to grab some fresh yogurts, milk and cheese.  As I headed over to the frozen foods section, I was loading up on frozen vegetables for dinners this week.  Of course, later I was headed to grab the kids some snacks for school, canned vegetables, and some portion-controlled snacks for myself.



I saw a very heavy-set man with a smile on his face, as he walked towards the ice cream aisle.  His cart was filled with tons of prepackaged items - cookies, breads, chips, crackers, pasta, sauces, dips. Who knows what else was in there.  Aren't you always curious what is in the cart next to you?  Take a peek sometime.

I then saw a woman shuffling slowly, several feet behind him.  Her arms were filled with boxes of waffles, ice cream bars and frozen meals.  She was red in the face, winded and cussing at her husband as he kept walking off with the cart.  She just wanted to put the six boxes of goodies down.  Her eyes filled with tears her breathing got heavier.  She continued to struggle.  Seriously, struggling with a few boxes of groceries in tow.  He continued laughing, until she smacked him from behind.

This made me sad.  I wanted to say something.  I wanted to do something for both of them.  Maybe give them a lightbulb moment.  Maybe, I should have stepped outside of my comfort zone and handed them my business card.  But, I didn't.  It's not my place to tell someone, a stranger, how to live their life.  I was still frustrated when I saw them in the parking lot, when I loaded my groceries into the Marathon Mommy Minivan.  She was still made and huffy and puffing while she put the cart away in the cart corral.  I can only help people that ask to be helped in the coaching setting.  I can't force a lifestyle or behavior on someone that doesn't ask for it.

Having struggled with my weight my entire life, I can relate to a small degree.  The balance of food and exercise has always been something that I look for.  But, it just reinforces how a few of my new habits from the past decade-or-so have truly become that - habits.  I don't struggle too much when splurging on $3.50 out-of-season strawberries for my family, when I previously would have tossed a $3.50 bag of chips in the cart without thinking. 

What's in the grocery cart behind you next time?