Everything Delivered, Truly

I went to Trader Joes to stock up on things like pancetta, items I use when I cook that is not readily available in most general markets. There is something enticing and dangerous about Trader Joe's. A walk down any aisle or past a refrigerator convinces you that bag of sweet potato chips is a necessity for a family that never snacks. By the time I'd made it half way around the tiny store--why are they all so small?--I'd amassed enough stuff for me to realize a cab would be needed. I rarely, if ever, leave the house with the granny cart that had somehow made it from Boston to LA and now to New York. Don't ask how a $14.00 cart, which probably cost a small fortune to ship cross country, is still in our possession.

I pushed, or rather, grunted my way to the cashier, who said the most beautiful thing to me. "Would you like this delivered?" Can you imagine my utter delight? Apparently, for a mere $4.50, the store would deliver my numerous bags to my front door. That price is unbeatable, considering a cab ride starts at $2.50, which goes up from mileage and time. And although I don't live far away from TJ's at all, there is no way to tell how long or how much the whole endeavor would cost. Also, there is the small, but no less annoying reality of once you disembark from the cab, you are responsible for getting the many bags up to your apartment door. I have yet to meet a cab driver who is gracious enough to park their cab, illegally most likely, to help a little lady get her numerous shopping bags to her door. If he did offer, I should, most likely, be a bit alarmed that he would have more than chivalry in mind by such an offer. There are few cab drivers who will get out to open their trunk for you, much less take your bags to your door.

So, this whole new option of having some African immigrant delivering my bags was too good to pass up. After this rewarding shopping trip, I was able to walk down the street sans bags to our apartment, knowing my bags were arriving in an hour. We have yet to wake up and call out for breakfast, reserving that luxury for one of those nasty days when stepping outside needs to be seriously weighed. All of this delivery of every day chores has freed up my time in ways I'd dreamed but never considered as attainable. The grocery shopping on line takes a mere half hour, compared to the 2 hour outing the trip to the market would normally take. Also, doing the shopping on line keeps you focused since you rarely wander down a cyber space aisle, dreaming about things you could make with that bottle of orange liqueur. Come to think of it, shopping this way is probably more cost effective since you rarely buy anything you don't have on your list.

We have now been here a month. And during that time, each of us has been figuring out our new city, our new home, our new life. Each day has been a new beginning, more so than just a new day, since everything was so new. When I drop my son off to school, there are more familiar faces, more people to exchange morning niceties with. I imagine within another month, we will have had a few more play dates, a few more exchanges with other families that extends beyond the mere 'hello.'