Shopping day today

I could go to the supermarket and just get it all over and done with, or, I could go downtown to the open market and shops.

Go downtown and be able to actually speak to the stall holders – even if it is some ‘cheeky’ comment.

What do I actually want to do?

But everything cost so much. And I’ve got to cart everything around with me instead of using a trolley!

It’s a dilemma.

I have lots of time on my hands so I’ll go downtown

Buses are running to timetables when people don’t want to use them so I’ll have to use the car.

I remember a nice little car park just next to the open market I’ll go there

Disc Parking only, I don’t have a disk! I drive around a bit more

Parking meter, and a space, I drive in, check the meter, £2 per hour, no change, I drive around a bit more.

Ah a multi-storey car park, pay on exit, looking good I go in, get my ticket and realise how much it is, £2-50 per hour, too late now, I drive in. round and round, up and up, third floor a space!

Why is it the bigger the car the more spaces they have to try and cover with their car, anyway I squeeze in.

Lifts not working so down the stairs. At least it’s not far to the shops.

I wander around and smell the earthy vegetables, the tang and zest of fruit and a sharp almost heady smell of spices. I walk around further and see clothes stalls next to book stalls next to food stalls next to well the list goes on and on.

A café has located itself in the centre of the stalls, everyone sitting there seems happy and chatting away, the stall holders shout their orders over and have a ‘banter’ with the people having their coffee.

It feels like being at home.

I get my veg, meat, some fruit – oh and a nice cardigan, a book for him indoors – well he always saying he has nothing to read. There was a nice pattern in the haberdashery and I saw an old neighbour I used to go to school with so we went and had a coffee.

Things have changed so much since we left school, our own children now have left school, we chat about what they were doing and then – we chatted about what we had done. It didn’t take long.

We said our goodbyes, and we would have to do it again, as it was really nice to meet up after all these years. All these years.

Gathering my three shopping bags, which seemed heavier than before the coffee I set off. I wonder what is around the far side of them market, I didn’t go in there before.

Kitchen implements, I need another washing basket but it is too big to carry, I’ll bring him with me next time. Walking further down I see a ‘nick-nack’ shop, little trinkets, nothing expensive but all looked – well – nice. Further along and there is a pet stall, lots of little furry things and flapping things, bags of straw and wood shavings, even bigger bags of dog food, the smell was – different –

Looking at my watch I had been almost three hours, £7-50 – I dash back to the multi-storey car park, I think that perhaps this wasn’t such a good idea, lift still not working, these bags are really getting heavy as I go up the stairs.

Made it, placing the items in the boot, I take my coat off and sit down, I want to take my shoes off but I think of £7-50 and drive away. Winding down the window the man in the little booth reaches out for my ticket, handing it over I watch as he enters it into a machine, £3-50 please, why is it I can never find my purse when I need it, I hand over the money thinking I should query the amount, but my feet ache so I don’t.

Now at home, mid afternoon, shopping put away and feet in nice comfy slippers I think about my friend and our coffee and what we had done.

My mind was a blank, and then it hit me. I had three wonderful well-balanced kids who were now making there own way in life. I had a (sometimes) -wonderful husband, I have a nice house – and garden, we didn’t have money to ‘spare’ but there isn’t anything else I ‘really’ want.

In that moment I realised that happiness wasn’t achieved in material things but in a realisation of what contentment really was.