Proof We All Dislike Change, #43,985

When we first moved to Texas, we had to replace all sorts of goods & services we'd gotten used to. Over the first six months we had to find a new house, new church, new job, new pediatrician, new dentist, new hairstylist, new bank, new babysitter, new...

...well, new everything.

And I think it was Stephen King who said that a place becomes home when you know where all the roads go. And, over the first six months we made adjustments. We got a new place (and then subsequently found a cheaper, better one about a year later). We got a new job (and then subsequently found a better fit about two years later). We found new pediatricians, dentists, hairstylists, banks, babysitters...and well...

...we knew not only all the roads to get there, but also got comfy with the little nuances of each place. You know, right? You adjust to the way the screen door bangs against the frame in the new place. The pastor of the new place does things differently than your old church. Going back to hourly wage in the mall selling sports memorabilia had all sorts of adjustments. The new doctor's manner was different than the old one. The new dentist was WAY better than the old one, including magazines in his office. The new hairstylist was cheaper AND better. The new bank had two different locations close to you and some were better depending on what time of day you were going. The new babysitter was so fun the kids always asked for her every time.

And, you make adjustments. Sometimes the change is ultimately good so you put up with the little annoyances. Sometimes you just fight through the difficulty because it's all you can do.

But, recently, I felt like I was in that same place as when you first move to a new city: My grocery store of choice is in the process of closing the store closest to us. So, no new meat, or dairy or bread or whatever else needs to be fresh and they're having pretty good sales on the other stuff.

So I needed some "fresh" stuff and figured I'd pick up a few other items at the competitor across the street. It's going to become my new grocery store of choice. I'm a proximity guy when it comes to that.

And I go in and I can't find anything.

Shampoo...shampoo...shampoo...hmmmm...
Greeting cards...greeting cards...greeting cards...weren't they over there?
Milk...milk...why isn't it next to the bread where it used to...oh, there it is.
Bread...oh yeah...back over here.
(walks the length of the store for the third time)
Greeting cards...I thought I saw them the last time...oh...
...there's the shampoo...but they don't stock that brand I don't guess because it's not in the same spot...oh, there it is!
Greeting cards...greeting cards...there's some magazines and they'll probably be next to them...hmmm...
(realizes that my logic and grocery store arrangement logic are two different types of logic)
Candy...candy...why isn't it next to the chips?

What would've taken me 5 minutes in the store where I new everything now took 15 (add in another 15 because I ran into a friend and we got to chatting, but it was 15 shopping minutes). And it felt like we'd just moved here.

I have no idea what's going to happen if I try to track down something for the spice rack.