ah, the simple joys of wal-mart

yesterday was a good but long day, and after small group (which went quite well) i suddenly found myself in the megalithic parking complex of walmart. i don't go to walmart much, not because i think it is the devil, but because it's usually out of my way. i parked by the Food section and waltzed in wearing the giddy-tired expression that comes when the weather is gorgeous and you have a few moments of selfish-time at the end of a long day.

when you park by the food department, you first come to the Produce section. this is the best area, by far, in the whole store. everything is bright and fresh and colorful and shiny and healthy. there are no secrets of food-processing hidden behind boxes or cans. you can poke and squeeze the food before you buy it. i am always in awe at the brightness of the peppers and curious about strange fruits like kumquats; and what is that little tomato-gourd-thing with leaves on it? i've never tasted eggplant, but it is a pretty color so it's probably good, right? i always walk by this tiny section of the fresh spices. they are still wet and crispy in their little sacks, and you can smell the rosemary, oregano and basil. next to the spices is the Organics section. i don't really understand Organics, but it just exudes this aura of Healthiness.

for all my walmart excursions, i've never before noticed this strange thing. smattered throughout Produce are nice little bushels of carnations and mini-roses, tacked up in buckets next to the barrels of loose Pecans and Brazil Nuts (who eats those anyways? enough people for walmart to have an entire barrel of them waiting to be bought?). the best theory i can figure is, these flowers are apparently meant to tempt the great numbers of men who are...buying produce...into snapping up a bushel of flowers to complement the nice...produce-dinner...he will be making for his sweetie....? *expressionless stare* i guess i don't know why they are in Produce. you'd think they'd stick the flowers back in Hardware or Auto Parts or someplace guys spend time. in any case, i decided to defy the gender-roles system for a day, and buy MYSELF some flowers. one particular bunch of carnations called to me from its perch on the edge of the Plantains bin. they are pink and orange and yellow and deep red and...they made me giddy. i don't understand the power of flowers....they are inexplicable in their beauty; their subtle complexities are masked by a facade of simple-yet-unabashed glory. "Even King Solomon, for all his splendor, was not clothed like the lilies!" one of my friends says that flowers are a gift straight from God. i think i believe her.

after Produce and my flower-epiphany, i wandered past the frozen foods section (everything in a package suddenly seems suspicious when you're used to poking and squeezing your food before you buy it) and into the coffee/tea aisle. i stood mesmerized at the exotic-looking cans of tea. i am a sucker for pretty things, but imagine buying a white and green and gold box, probably with some shiny silver accents on it, and in asian-style lettering it says "mountain white pearl" or something, and behind the letters is a painting of a mountain and some lovely white flowers. and it's only logical: nothing that comes from such a beautiful box could ever taste any less. then you take it home, and...alas, it tastes just like that jumbo box of cardboard-flavored Lipton in the cupboard. so you throw the tea away and decide to keep the box.

so keeping in mind these deceptions, i passed on the tea and all its fraudulent packaging. i did, however, still have my flowers clutched victoriously in my arms. i made my way back to Produce and picked out three Kiwis, of course after poking and squeezing them because i CAN.

my little excursion was very enjoyable and my glorious carnations are currently sitting on my desk. thanks for reading!