Life.Simple.Perspective

As hard as it is for me to admit that, I can no longer deny it.

The inspiration for this blog came to me this morning as I was walking across their parking lot with my milk, fruit and a candle.  The candle is the reason why I ventured out at 7:45 a.m. on my day off.  I wanted the house to smell homey while I was writing and doing my chores.   The candle scent that I selected is “Gourmet Cookie Shop”.  Were I seeking the fragrance of Christmastime, I could have chosen “Fresh Cut Frasier” but I’ll save that one for my next trip.  I tend to have confidence in products that have the Better Homes and Gardens seal of approval and who doesn’t love a great candle that cost only $3.97!  Now don’t get me wrong, I love Yankee candles but they are expensive and I can’t afford to buy them at the present time.  So my common sense says I can buy six of these candles for the price of one of those.  The fact that Walmart buys and sells in such large quantities generally insures that they have the latest “stuff”.  I am a sucker for products that say “limited edition”, “new & improved”, “25% more free”, etc.  My gourmet cookie shop candle says “limited edition” as well as “made in the USA”.  Buying a product that says made in the USA makes me feel good because of something that a friend of mine said to me several years ago.  He is a very wealthy man and he made the comment one day that we don’t manufacture anything in this country anymore; the only thing we “make” is money.  He is an immigrant whose parents sent him to America when he was young to get an education.  Instead of a formal education however, he became an entrepreneur and ended up making lots of money.  He too didn’t “make” anything; he just made lots of money.

I know that a lot of people shop at Walmart out of necessity including myself.  If given the choice, I would prefer to shop at non-superstores.  It pains me however to pay twice as much for the same product just for the privilege of shopping at one of my favorite natural and organic stores.  I used to relate shopping at Walmart to childhood memories that I have of being poor.  I used to tell myself as I was leaving Walmart that I wouldn’t have to shop here for much longer.  One day I decided to “reframe” that message.  Now I tell myself that I am a smart, savvy shopper and I shop at Walmart because I choose to and I appreciate a good bargain.  Boy, what a difference your thoughts can make in how you approach life!  It’s true that if you’re already down in the dumps, shopping at Walmart can make you feel a bit lower.  Or it can have the opposite effect and make you feel grateful that you are not as bad off as some of the other customers that you see shopping in there.  You get to learn lots of patience while shopping at Walmart.  You also see lots of “special” people while shopping there.  Just keep telling yourself when you do that “all the freaky people are the beauty of the world”.  If you’re in a good mood, it can sometimes bring you down if you spend too much time immersed in the Walmart “experience”.  It’s like goo that settles over you.  The secret to having an awesome Walmart experience is to go early in the morning, later on Friday nights or to check out their Neighborhood Market stores which are clean, friendly and a lot less crowded.  The down side is you can’t buy a tire for your car there.

Yes, I am a Walmartian but you will probably never catch me shopping in my pajamas or ignoring my kid as he screams at the top of his lungs while I’m getting my shop on and talking on my cell phone.  You may see me with bed hair and no makeup on however during a quick run in and out like I did this morning.  But one thing you will always see me do is putting my shopping cart back where it belongs because that is an act of obedience and that is what Joyce Meyer has taught me to do.

 Now it’s your turn to share your Walmart experiences.