executive (dys)function

Today's post is not a Moody Monday topic. It started out that way because of my panic earlier today, but it's been resolved into a successful day: my first grocery trip without a car.

Read the lists and the lessons learned...

The weather around noon was barely below freezing, very little wind, and sunny skies. For a Minneapolis winter, that counts as a gorgeous day. Snow would arrive in a few hours, though, so I knew I need to walk to the grocery store before then. I dressed warm for the weather outside, I had my "fake" wallet in my pants pocket, and I was ready to walk out the front door for my first grocery trip without a car. I wanted to get my credit card (but not the debit card) from my "real" wallet to pay for the groceries. But I couldn't find my wallet.

I spent nearly an hour looking for my wallet. Did I leave it in the Lyft car? No, I walked to the doctor's clinic since then. Did it fall out of my pocket when I walked back from the clinic? I checked online, but neither my debit nor credit cards had been used inappropriately in the last week, so I believed it was here in the house somewhere. More searches through my usual storage places turned up nothing. I decided to just carry cash with me on the trip this time. Not ideal. The stretch between my house and the nearby Aldi's grocery is not the worst here in the warzone of north Minneapolis, but people have been hurt and killed in attacks (or stray bullets) along this route. Just last night, I was listening to bullets nearby, within 2 block radius.

I happened to stick my hands into my coat pockets before leaving... and there was my wallet. Yay! Crisis averted. That experience was more stressful than when I lose my glasses.

I took my fake wallet ($6 cash, expired driver license, expired debit card for closed account) in my pants pocket, my credit card elsewhere, my elastomeric mask hung around my neck at the ready, and I walked out toward the grocery store. Overall, it was uneventful. Some people clearly do less work clearing their sidewalks than the people here on my block. Groceries get heavy over the long haul, though. My fingers were hurting because of losing blood flow, not the cold. I'll need to get one of those bag handles that give you extra width for an easy grip on bag straps, or... maybe some strap that I could also carry over my shoulder?

So, clearly I haven't adjusted yet to this new car-less routine. I need to develop new habits for my forays outside the house. Then it'll be easy to choose what to carry with me on any given trip out the front door.

1. Mask stuff goes here.
2. "Real" and "fake" stuff both go here.
3. Disinfect the groceries before putting them away. (Yes, it's still my routine, even though it's not particularly needed with SARS-CoV-2 and useless (given my disinfectant of choice) against monkeypox. But it's an established habit, and I'll keep using it.)
4. Put the reusable grocery bags here, since the car is no longer an option.

Such an adventure. Executive (dys)function is fun!