Covid did it again. Today, dear reader, I was supposed to go Christmas shopping with my mother-in-law. We were going to go to Grove City Outlets and a little town called Valant. I had plans to complete my Christmas shopping for The Bean, The Bibbed Wonder, and GramBarb. I had definite ideas of what I wanted to purchase and was looking forward to spending a day off the farm with one of my favorite people. It has been almost two years since I have taken a shopping trip just for pleasure. As you can tell by the tone of my blog, none of this is happening today.
Although I have done most of my shopping supporting small businesses and local, there are a few things that I wanted to purchase to finish up my holiday shopping. The Bean has definite opinions about fashion, so I have to do some chain shopping. I don’t need a lot, but it was more the idea of spending a day with GramBarb free of duties that had me excited. The Bibbed Wonder began fretting two weeks ago about me going shopping at a large complex out of the area. At first, I blew him off. He has two motivations for me not to shop. First, he doesn’t want me to spend money. He’s a real boob about that. Sigh. Secondly, he genuinely worries about me contracting the virus and getting seriously ill. Sigh. At the end of last week, he began his anti-shopping trip campaign in earnest. He began by stating that it is irresponsible for me to go so far out of the area when the breakthrough cases are increasing. He then played the guilt card about my getting sick and leaving The Bean without a mom. He also used GramBarb’s age as leverage. Asking me if I would be okay knowing my choices made his 70 something mother ill. His last line of defense is telling me all the terrible choices he will make when I am gone. Sigh. He’s a real pain.
He knows he will eventually wear me down, and he did. His reasoning and my bean being home from school with a sinus infection were enough to convince me to stay home. I can indeed do what I need to do from home. Although I miss the experience of shopping in person, I know it is more responsible to stay home. I genuinely enjoy touching the items, looking at my options, and assessing my choices. Online shopping is more convenient, less time-consuming, and focused. However, there won’t be any window shopping, going out to lunch, or impulse buying. The lack of impulse buying is not such a bad thing, I am a consumer through and through, and I’m a real sucker for gimmicks and pretty packaging.
I’m not sure why, but canceling my shopping trip drove it home that this pandemic thing isn’t over yet. If it were an outdoor market, I would be fine. I feel safer and more confident outdoors. I feel like I can distance myself from people and avoid crowded areas. Perhaps it is false security but being outdoors is a comfort. We have one more big event this year, The Handmade Arcade at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, and I must admit I am a bit apprehensive about going to the city and being indoors. Every precaution for safety measures will be in place, but it continues to concern me. Perhaps I am just developing a weird germ-phobia and social disorder. More accurately, though, I am just disappointed I am not going on my shopping trip. Sigh.
Instead, I will spend the day with my under-the-weather bean and dodge smart-a$$comments from my bib overall wearing wonder buns. It’s not such a bad day. As always, dear reader, stay safe, be smart, do what makes you comfortable, and of course, wash your hands.