Images: Coconut

The little girl walked through the grocery store, one hand always tightly clenching the side of the cart as her mother pushed it up and down the aisles.  What a wonderful place, thought the little girl.  Not only were the possibilities seemingly limitless, but they were also very well organized, and even at her young age she had a deep appreciation for all things sorted.   Color, shape, size, or number- it didn't matter how, simply that they were, in fact, sorted.

The other bit of magic brought by a trip to the grocery store was the grocery list itself.  The hand not clenching the cart gripped a ratty piece of paper, from the phone stand in the kitchen, and a pen, dug out of the bottom of her mother's purse.  Each time an item was chosen, the girl relinquished her hold on the cart just long enough to cross the item off the list.  Again, despite her young age, she knew the addiction of accomplishment, and sought it at every turn.

Grocery shopping seemed to the little girl the epitome of all things grown up.  She watched her mother as she made decision after decision, choosing between brands and judging produce as if she were at the county fair, and not simply the super market.  In time, the girl would also learn to make these decisions, and the magic would disappear as she realized that very few people actually knew what they were doing and everyone else was simply putting on a show, but for now the simple act of choosing mundane things like bananas and canned soup was awe-inspiring.

The best part of the trip was still to come.  As they approached the checkout stand, the little girl quickly scanned the boxes of candy, liking nearly everything she saw but looking for one thing in particular.  A split-second later she found it and, picking it up, tentatively handed it to her mother.  Her mother smiled, and added it to the cart, unable to resist her favorite candy and the opportunity to share a moment with her daughter.

Safely buckled into the car, with groceries piled around, the little girl ripped open the candy's packaging and found, as always, the two pieces of chocolate filled with coconut nestled in their cupcake paper lining.  She handed one to her mother, and ate the other, managing to smudge only a little chocolate on her fingers and face.  The short trip home was filled with contented smiles and the sweet scent of coconut.